Sovereign Armenia no longer exists - ARF 

ArmInfo. Today, Armenia as a sovereign state no longer exists: the country has become the "estate" of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armen Rustamyan, a member of the National Assembly of Armenia from the opposition Armenia faction and a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun, stated this in a conversation with journalists in the Armenian parliament.

He commented on the 26% to 74% split of shares in the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project between Armenia and the United States.

The MP noted that Armenia essentially does not receive even half of  the share in the project, which passes through its sovereign  territory. He emphasized that this demonstrates that Armenia has  ceased to be a subject of negotiations and has become an object: "We  are on the table, not at the negotiating table. We are just a sham  while others decide what to give us and what cuts to make."

Rustamyan recalled that, in practice, Armenian border guards will  only be deployed in the "back office," while the Americans will  decide who will be in the "front office." He argued that this is  nothing more than fulfilling Azerbaijan's demands, namely, the  absence of Armenian border guards in these areas. "Thus, we are  witnessing how all the statements of the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem  are being implemented, while the promises of the Armenian authorities  remain unfulfilled. In the current situation, it is impossible to  talk about protecting Armenia's interests, since only a  representative of the country is present at the negotiations, but  Armenia itself and its people are not present," the opposition figure  believes.

The MP also recalled that discussions about implementing the "Trump  route" essentially arose after the authorities abandoned the Lachin  corridor and abandoned Artsakh. He expressed his conviction that the  government's claims about the benefits Armenia would receive from  this project were nothing more than smoke and mirrors. "This is how  Pashinyan is solving his own problems, namely, maintaining power.  It's clear that the Armenian prime minister will only be able to  retain power thanks to 'praise from various quarters,' which he will  then use in his election campaign, as he did in 2021, claiming to  have brought peace," the ARF member recalled.

However, as Rustamyan noted, since 2021, the current government has  continued to pursue only concessions. "Armenia's territorial  integrity isn't important to them; the main thing is maintaining  control over the territory where they can exercise their power. This  is their 'Real Armenia,'" the MP emphasized.

At the same time, the Dashnaktsakan doesn't consider abandoning the  Armenian-American project logical.  The MP is confident that, despite  the unacceptability of the current situation, all issues are subject  to discussion. In particular, he believes it's possible to consider  the prospects for implementing the project with the involvement of  all of Armenia's strategic partners and within the framework of its  sovereignty.  "Furthermore, it's necessary to understand that we  can't limit ourselves to one project on our own territory," Rustamyan  concluded.

As a reminder, on August 8, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a seven-point joint  "Declaration of Peace" in Washington. It includes 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. The TRIPP (Trump Route for International  Peace and Prosperity) project is a 42-kilometer stretch of road  through southern Armenia, which, according to rumors, will be  transferred to US administration for 99 years.

It should be added that on January 14, the Armenian Foreign Ministry  published the framework document signed with the American side in  Washington for the implementation of the Trump Route for  International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). The 12-page document  outlines the project's main objectives and operational mechanisms.  Among other things, the document emphasizes Armenia's intention to  authorize and support the establishment of the TRIPP Development  Company. The company is expected to be responsible for developing 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  the TRIPP Development Company, retaining 26%. This partnership is  expected to be extended for an additional 50 years, with an  additional ownership stake granted to the Armenian government,  bringing its stake to 49%.