TRIPP and US guarantee Armenia 99-year prospects - Nikol Pashinyan 

ArmInfo.  "The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity Initiative (TRIPP) is an investment program being implemented in the Republic of Armenia. Azerbaijan doesn't have TRIPP, so I can't say what will happen in  Azerbaijan," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on OTV,  responding to a question about "what will happen in the Azerbaijani  part."

"The problem is that in both countries, border crossings, etc., will  operate within the framework of their sovereignty, territorial  integrity, and jurisdiction, while access to transport channels will  be based on reciprocity," he noted.

When asked why Armenia will only have a 26% stake in the  Armenian-American TRIPP Development Company, Pashinyan noted that,  according to the agreement, in 50 years the percentage ratio will  change, and the Republic of Armenia will hold 49%. As the Prime  Minister noted, any investor, when investing money, wants to have  certain guarantees of a return on their investment with a certain  profit, "because otherwise, why invest?"

"We, including the Front Office and Back Office, must understand-and  this is truly true-the investor's desire and commitment to providing  the highest quality and most attractive services possible so that as  many people as possible can benefit from them. After all, we're  talking about people in the Front Office and Back Office, but the  Front Office may not be people-based; it may be artificial  intelligence, it may be modern equipment, and the Front Office's  primary function may be servicing this equipment, etc.", he noted.

The head of the Armenian Cabinet also called for a different approach  to this issue. "The United States of America is implementing a  99-year investment program in the Republic of Armenia (this is the  period for which the road will be transferred to US management -  ed.). "That is, the world's leading superpower declares that the  Republic of Armenia, excuse me, will exist for 99 years as an  independent, sovereign state, there will be peace there, and there  will be a normal investment environment," Nikol Pashinyan said.

"I apologize, I'm about to make a statement that will sound harsh,  and I don't rule out that it will be received harshly, but, for  example, I'm looking for and don't see a single period in our  previous history when we had a 99-year perspective, when we had a  99-year plan, and we developed this 99-year plan, we developed it  jointly with the world's leading superpower. I want us to truly  appreciate this moment, and this is in line with the program for the  sustainable development of our statehood, which we adopted back in  2018," the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia said.

As a reminder, on August 8, 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a joint  seven-point "Declaration of Peace" in Washington. It envisages 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 management for 99  years.

On January 14, 2026, the Armenian Foreign Ministry published the  framework document for the implementation of TRIPP signed with the US  in Washington. The 12-page document presents the project's main  objectives and operating mechanisms. Among other things, the document  emphasizes that Armenia intends 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%.