Trump route for peace: U.S. may gain rights in South Caucasus transit corridor

A view shows the positions of the Armenian and Azerbaijani armies, on 13 May, 2025.
Reuters

In a landmark move, U.S. President Donald Trump will welcome the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to the White House on Friday for the signing of a peace framework that includes granting the U.S. exclusive development rights to a strategic transit corridor in the South Caucasus.

According to U.S. officials, the document also provides the United States with exclusive development rights over a strategically important transit corridor in the South Caucasus (the Zangezur corridor). This corridor will be named the 'Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity' (TRIPP).

The framework to be signed aims to establish a 'concrete roadmap to peace' between Armenia and Azerbaijan and to resolve the long-disputed transit corridor issue.

Under the agreement, Armenia has agreed to grant the U.S. long-term infrastructure and management rights. The U.S. will lease the corridor to commercial subcontractors.

U.S. officials say the project will reduce regional tensions and unlock commercial opportunities in a region rich in oil and gas but fractured by ethnic and political divisions.

This breakthrough follows months of U.S.-led diplomacy, led by special envoy Steve Witkoff. Washington believes the peace deal could also pave the way for Azerbaijan’s future participation in the Abraham Accords.

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