Prospects for Trump Route project bleak amid US-Iran conflict - RF  MFA

ArmInfo. The prospects for launching the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity" (TRIPP) project are bleak amid the US-Iran conflict. Mikhail Kalugin,  Director of the Fourth CIS Department at the Russian Foreign  Ministry, stated this in an interview with TASS.

"A number of experts believe that, given the Iranian-American  conflict, the prospects for launching the Trump Road are bleak. It is  noted that, in addition to Iran's negative perception of the US  presence on its northern borders, American control over the route  from Central Asia to Europe, of which the Trump Road is intended to  be a part, could also generate mistrust among Asian partners. And  without Chinese and Russian cargo, it will be extremely difficult to  recoup the investment in the project," he noted. According to  Kalugin, there are a number of objective factors in this matter that  must be taken into account. "These include the presence of Russian  border guards on the Armenian-Iranian border, the need to lay a  Russian- standard railway line for a seamless connection with the  Azerbaijani one, the concession of South Caucasus Railways CJSC to  manage the Armenian railway network, which is valid until 2038, and  the inclusion of Armenia in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) single  customs space," the diplomat continued.

Overall, this project, as a transit route between mainland Azerbaijan  and Nakhichevan through southern Armenia, did not arise out of  nowhere, Kalugin emphasized. "Its creation was preceded by two years  of painstaking work within the Russia-Azerbaijan-Armenia format,  namely, a trilateral working group co- chaired by deputy prime  ministers. By 2023, we were close to launching the so-called Meghri  route, which was intended not only to ensure transit through southern  Armenia to Nakhichevan but also, in essence, to connect the Armenian  and Azerbaijani railways," he added.

According to him, this is precisely what Armenia is currently  struggling to achieve, relying on the "Trump Road." "But the problem  is that the Armenian-American initiative, unlike the "Meghri Route,"  does not automatically provide for a full-fledged connection of  Armenian and Azerbaijani railway infrastructure. It is not our fault  that Yerevan deliberately froze the work of the trilateral working  group in 2023."

On January 14, the Armenian Foreign Ministry published the framework  document signed with the American side in Washington for the  implementation of the "Trump Road for International Peace and  Prosperity" (TRIPP). The 12-page document presents the project's main  objectives and operating mechanisms. Among other things, the document  emphasizes Armenia's intention to sanction and support the  establishment of the TRIPP Development Company. The company is  expected to be responsible for the development of the TRIPP project,  receiving an initial development right for a period of 49 years.  Armenia intends to offer the United States a 74% stake in TRIPP  Development Company, retaining 26%. This partnership is expected to  be extended for another 50 years, with an additional ownership stake  granted to the Armenian government, bringing its stake to 49%.

As a reminder, on August 8, 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a seven-point  joint "Declaration of Peace" in Washington. It provides for a joint  appeal to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe  (OSCE) to terminate the OSCE Minsk Process and related structures, as  well as the creation of a transport corridor through Armenian  territory that will connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave,  surrounded by Armenia, Turkey, and Iran.