Grigorian declined to give details of the ongoing talks or possible time frames for the launch of what will be called the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP).
“Yes, the work is underway,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “In fact, the appearance, form, and content of the infrastructure are being discussed in quite deep detail.”
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian pledged to give the U. S. exclusive rights to the transit railway, road and possibly energy supply lines during talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held at the White House on August 8. Key details of the transit arrangement remain unknown. A joint declaration by Trump, Aliyev and Pashinian says only that Armenia will ensure “unhindered communication” between the Nakhichevan exclave and the rest of Azerbaijan through its Syunik province.
Grigorian implied that only the route of the Syunik railway has been determined so far. It would run along Armenia’s strategically important border with Iran.
“Why? Because the railway existed during the Soviet period, and it needs to be restored. The rest of the transit infrastructure did not exist during the Soviet period for known reasons, and they need to be designed from scratch,” explained the official.
Grigorian also said that Yerevan expects Azerbaijan to open its territory for Armenian cargo transit simultaneously with the launch of the TRIPP.
“According to the agreements, we are talking about regional infrastructure integration, which means that all possible connections must become a reality,” he said. “Otherwise, the infrastructure fragment [in Syunik] will not serve the purpose that we are talking about.”
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan made a similar point when he answered related questions from an opposition lawmaker on Monday. He said the TRIPP will make no sense if Armenia is unable to transport cargo to and from Syunik or third countries through Nakhichevan.
“This unblocking won't work if that [Nakhichevan] section isn't unblocked,” added Mirzoyan. “It's supposed to be synchronous.”
For many in Armenia, a more important question is the border crossing procedures that could be put in place for Azerbaijani travelers and cargo. Pashinian has made ambiguous statements on this score. His domestic critics maintain that the TRIPP amounts to the kind of an extraterritorial “Zangezur corridor” that has been sought by Azerbaijan ever since the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. Aliyev has repeatedly echoed the Armenian opposition claims.