The TRIPP Implementation Framework defines the powers and benefits of Armenia and the United States

Under the TRIPP project, Armenia will receive a 26% stake, and the United States a 74% stake, in the management company TRIPP Development, according to a framework program presented in Washington. The document is only interim and does not impose obligations, but it does provide an idea of the project model, analysts noted.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Armenia and the United States are discussing two scenarios for granting the right to build the "Trump Route" project in Armenia: for 99 and 49 years, while the land will remain Armenian property, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated. Construction work is expected to begin in 2026, but the project may require border delimitation.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Washington to present the Trump Pathway to International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) Implementation Framework as part of the commitments made at the White House on August 8, 2025, to promote lasting peace in the South Caucasus, the Armenian Foreign Ministry announced today.

The agreement reached under the Washington Declaration lifts the blockade of Armenia—something the country has been striving for for 35 years, stated Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. "From now on, Armenia will have access to and be able to use Azerbaijan's railway infrastructure for its international trade," Mirzoyan said in an interview with the Armenpress news agency.

Prior to this, on January 12, an American delegation met with an Azerbaijani delegation to discuss the prospects for developing the TRIPP project, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported. Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov received a delegation led by Carl Kress, Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and Eurasia at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). "During the meeting, the current state of bilateral cooperation in the areas of energy, trade, and regional connectivity, including the TRIPP route, was discussed," the Foreign Ministry said. A presentation by representatives of the US private sector on Azerbaijan's infrastructure and logistics capabilities was also discussed.

The presented program outlined the progress of the project

The Framework for the Implementation of the "Trump Path to International Peace and The "Trump Route to Prosperity" (TRIPP) does not create and is not intended to create legal obligations or liabilities for Armenia or the United States, according to the framework program (the text is published on the English version of the "Caucasian Knot").

To implement the initiative, a company called TRIPP Development will be created, in which the United States will receive 74% of the shares in exchange for an initial investment, and Armenia will receive 26%. The company will be granted the exclusive right to implement the project for a period of 49 years. The cooperation period is expected to be extended for another 50 years, with the Armenian government being granted an additional ownership stake, increasing Armenia's participation in the project to 49%, according to the text.

TRIPP Development will be responsible for uninterrupted multimodal transit routes through Armenia, which will connect Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan and become a key element of the Trans-Caspian route. Armenia intends to grant the TRIPP Development Company exclusive rights to plan, design, develop, construct, operate, and maintain multimodal transit infrastructure, as well as to establish specialized organizations for the implementation of specific infrastructure projects. The company will also have the right to enter into contracts with construction companies, operators, and service providers, as well as to generate and collect revenues from infrastructure activities. The project envisages the creation and development of railway and road infrastructure, energy routes, including oil and gas pipelines, as well as a digital infrastructure, including fiber-optic networks.

Armenia's sovereignty and jurisdiction in matters of border and customs control are absolute and not subject to revision. Armenia undertakes to develop separate procedures for the movement of people, vehicles and goods, including bilateral communication between Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, in accordance with Armenian legislation, current international agreements and international standards. Servicing and collection of documents will be carried out by US operators in a "front office" format, while customs clearance, security checks and migration control remain the responsibility of Armenian state bodies. Both sides will appoint a high-ranking government official as the main coordinator, while decisions on a number of sensitive issues will be made jointly through an Armenian-American steering committee, the list of these issues is not specified. Taxes and fees will go directly to the state budget of Armenia.

The document also outlines the obligations and interests of the parties. Thus, the TRIPP project for the United States is an opportunity to ensure the supply of critically important nutrients minerals and rare earth metals to the American market. For Armenia, the TRIPP project envisions attracting significant investment, creating new jobs, and developing transport, energy, and digital infrastructure, as well as strengthening the strategic partnership with the United States. Armenia will continue to implement modern customs procedures, including risk-based control, electronic document processing, transit regimes with tracking, and single-window systems, as well as harmonization with international standards.

The document states that Armenia retains full jurisdiction over its sovereign territory, border and customs information systems will remain under Armenia's sovereign control, data exchange with foreign entities is possible only within the framework of legal mechanisms, and cybersecurity and the processing of personal data will be carried out in accordance with international practice and Armenian legislation. Subject to the availability of resources, the United States intends to facilitate the training and professional development of Armenian border and customs personnel, including training in modern technologies, risk assessment, professional ethics, and participation in international exchange programs.

The Armenian Foreign Minister explained his position

Armenian authorities hope to begin construction of the TRIPP route in early fall or late summer, Ararat Mirzoyan said. "The necessary documents will be completed in the coming months. "I hope that by early fall or late summer we will be able to have infrastructure construction on the ground," he said at a press conference on Armenia Today.

According to him, Yerevan is abandoning the approach based on seeking formal external guarantors when implementing international agreements. According to him, experience shows that the presence of such guarantors does not prevent agreement violations. Mirzoyan noted that Armenia is now focusing on mutual benefit and the interests of the parties, as they are becoming a more stable basis for the implementation of projects and agreements, including TRIPP and peace agreement negotiations.

Mirzoyan added that the TRIPP project and the North-South highway will not interfere with each other, but, on the contrary, "will create synergy." "On the one hand, there is the North-South highway, and on the other, the TRIPP infrastructure, which presupposes movement along the east-west axis. Together, they form a crossroads. This is the 'Crossroads of Peace' whose vision we present to the world," he stated. Mirzoyan.

Commenting on Turkey's possible participation in the project, the minister stated that Ankara's direct involvement in the project is not envisaged, but unblocking regional communications, including with Turkey, remains an important factor in the formation of any transport routes, the publication states.

All discussed issues were recorded in the statement. There was not a single condition that was put forward, discussed, or agreed upon, but for one reason or another was not made public. This is not a final document, although it is very important. It is an interim document between the August 8 Declaration and the final document, Arka reported.

The success of TRIPP depends on the institutionalization of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, as well as US participation and regional stability.

"Armenia's role as a transit and regional hub will increase, Opportunities for attracting foreign investment and cooperation between local and international companies will expand. The success of TRIPP depends on the institutionalization of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, as well as US participation and regional stability,” he was quoted as saying in the publication.

Armenia’s sovereignty and jurisdiction fully extend to the entire TRIPP infrastructure. Route security will be fully ensured and controlled by Armenia. No decisions will be made without the consent of the Republic of Armenia, the head of the Foreign Ministry emphasized.

“According to the document, the customs and border authorities of Armenia will carry out all sovereign procedures in accordance with Armenian legislation.” “Final customs decisions, customs clearance, security checks and their implementation if necessary, migration control, law enforcement actions if necessary, issuance of permits and inspections – all of this can only be carried out by responsible representatives of the Republic of Armenia,” Mirzoyan said.

He added that the issue of Russia’s participation in the implementation of the project is not was discussed.   Overall, the TRIPP framework is quite clear. We do not intend to exclude Russia in any way. Russia is present in Armenia in various infrastructure facilities, and although it will not participate directly in TRIPP, interaction, ties, and cooperation can be created for the Russian Federation within the framework of TRIPP-related activities,” Aysor.Am quotes him as saying.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the situation around Armenia has never been more stable and secure in its entire history. “Of course, all the processes that have taken place play a role in this, as well as the Joint Statement on the Framework for the Implementation of the Trump Path to International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project made yesterday,” Novosti Armenia quotes him as saying.

According to him, there is a formula that fully satisfies Armenia, the United States, and, in the opinion of the Prime Minister, Azerbaijan.

“Thus, A "green light" for lasting and stable peace in the region. This statement is the cornerstone for the institutionalization of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Commissions are working to demarcate the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. "We are moving forward at a much faster pace than we could have previously imagined," Pashinyan said.

Among these developments, he named Armenia's railway connection with the world and bilateral trade with Azerbaijan. The Prime Minister noted that fuel supplies from Azerbaijan will contribute to the eradication of monopolies in Armenia.

Analysts pointed to the interim nature of the document

The six-page document, drawn up in English and legally representing an agreement of intent, provides for clear regulation of three groups of issues, noted Gohar Meloyan, a constitutional law expert and member of the "Our Way" movement.

"It regulates a number of aspects related to the corporate structure of the TRIPP development company; "It addresses certain issues related to the granting of the right to construct communications by the Republic of Armenia to the TRIPP development company; it determines the distribution of competencies and authorities between the TRIPP development company and the Republic of Armenia in the areas of border security and customs control related to the Trump Route, which passes through Armenia, including, for example, the delineation of powers based on the front office-back office principle," News.Am quotes her as saying.

Armenia gains nothing from the TRIPP project, military expert Hayk Nahapetyan is convinced. "Nikol Pashinyan and his entourage gain everything—power, preserving and increasing what they have acquired. Several hundred people close to the 'feeding trough' benefit to varying degrees. Several oligarchs get the opportunity to increase their wealth. "The Republic of Armenia doesn't win, the citizens of Armenia don't win, the Armenian people don't win, and the national minorities living in Armenia don't win," Aysor.Am quotes him as saying.

According to Nahapetyan, the corridor is of strategic importance. "The Turkic world—the 'Great Turan'—was torn apart on land, and the cause of this rupture was Armenia, particularly the Syunik region. Now this rupture is gradually being closed," the expert emphasized.

The US presence is directed against two of our neighboring, friendly, and allied states.

According to him, the authorities are trying to convince the public that the US has interests here and, as part of their defense, will also protect Armenia.

"The US's main goal is a change of power in Iran, then its dismemberment. The second strategic goal is Russia. The British-Turkish Turan project is being implemented here. The US presence is directed against two of our neighboring, friendly, and allied states. We have no benefit here; only a group of people serving the interests of the US, Great Britain, Turkey, and Azerbaijan benefit," he noted, pointing out that the project, called "Trump's Path," will create problems. Not in the next few decades, but in the coming months.

If the approved program does not provide for any legal obligations for either party, then this is most likely due to Yerevan's particular sensitivity regarding the issue of sovereignty, believes Azerbaijani analyst, political scientist, professor, and doctor of the Hankuk University of Regional Studies (Seoul) Rovshan Ibrahimov.

"Any document implies legal obligations. If an agreement is reached directly, then within the framework of common and private law, like a contract or an international agreement, it has a legal basis. Apparently, there is some misunderstanding or omission, which is due to the fact that the Armenian side is very scrupulous regarding the transfer of a certain portion of sovereignty, that is, the renunciation of a concession, although the agreement itself is a type of concession and this is not a new factor for Armenia – it is known that the railway lines in Armenia have been transferred to the control of Russia," he is quoted as saying. Minval.Az.