Speaking at an international conference titled “Crossroads of Peace: Developing Regional Connectivity and Cooperation” in Yerevan, Pashinian said the duration of the construction right is linked to investment commitments.
“If we say that we are giving that land for five years, no one will make an investment, because it is unrealistic to get that investment back in five years,” he explained.
Armenia committed to the TRIPP project under a joint declaration with Azerbaijan, signed at a White House summit in August. The agreement, witnessed by U.S. President Donald Trump, aims to ensure “unimpeded connectivity” between mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhichevan exclave, while providing reciprocal benefits for Armenia in international and intra-state connectivity. The United States is to have exclusive rights to oversee the project dubbed in honor of its current president.
The Armenian prime minister stressed that after the expiration of the construction right, the property on the land will become the property of the Republic of Armenia, while the land itself will remain Armenian property all along.
He also announced that Armenia will establish a regulatory database and create a joint venture with the United States as the first steps in implementing TRIPP. “And we are working on it,” Pashinian said.
Pashinian said the first phase of the database creation is based on the Washington Declaration, which “describes the overall framework” for the project. He added that these initial steps are intended to outline how TRIPP will be executed.
Following the creation of the database, Armenia and the United States plan to establish a jointly owned legal entity, with a board of directors representing both countries, said Pashinian, emphasizing that Armenia will hold decisive voting rights on strategic issues and that Armenian institutions will face no domestic law restrictions along the areas through which TRIPP will pass.
Pashinian said that during a recent meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, on the sidelines of a European Political Community summit, he discussed with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev where to start the project. After preliminary discussions, he said, they agreed that the fastest elements to implement would be power lines and a gas pipeline, though he stressed that this was a preliminary understanding.
Earlier this week, Pashinian said construction of TRIPP in Armenia’s strategic southern Syunik region is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026. During a parliamentary question-and-answer session on Wednesday, he outlined a roadmap for the project, noting that authorities aim to adhere to the timeline, though “some deviations may occur.” Agreements on project details are expected to be finalized in the first half of 2026, with construction starting later that year, the premier added.
Pashinian also detailed some of the TRIPP-related infrastructure plans, including railways, roads, and pipelines. He said the railway will follow the Soviet-era route, noting that building it along a new path would be unrealistic. The gas pipeline will run significantly north of the railway, as will the power lines, he said.
Regarding roads, Pashinian said major routes will likely be integrated with the existing North-South highway network. Plans for an oil pipeline, he added, cannot yet be confirmed and will depend in part on international oil prices.
Members of Armenia’s main parliamentary opposition argue that under the Washington Declaration, Armenia ceded sovereignty over roads in Syunik while gaining nothing from Azerbaijan. They are also skeptical of the peace agreement initialed between Yerevan and Baku, saying it will not bring real peace as long as the Armenian government continues to make concessions.
Pashinian and his government dismiss the criticism, insisting that TRIPP will remain under Armenia’s jurisdiction and does not violate the country’s sovereignty or territorial integrity. They also maintain that the U.S.-overseen project will bring benefits to Armenia through broader regional connectivity, including transit opportunities via Azerbaijan.