Both U.S. and Armenia have approved a joint statement on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity implementation framework, known as TRIPP, following talks in Washington between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday.
U.S. officials say Washington plans to provide Yerevan with $145 million to help finance the project, in which the United States would hold a 74% stake in it.
Rubio described the project as a potential global model for promoting economic growth and prosperity in the region.
Within the framework, Armenia will involve private operators in implementing the TRIPP, also known as the Zangezur route, while the U.S. will provide technical support on customs and inspections, under the new agreement that preserves Armenia’s full sovereignty over border and customs controls.
The TRIPP is a 42 km long transit route between Azerbaijan and its exclave Nakhchivan in the south of Armenia.
Previously, U.S. President Donald Trump, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a declaration in Washington on 8 August last year, which said that Armenia would work with the U.S. to created a framework for how the project will be managed. It'll consist of motorway, railway and oil and gas infrastructure facilities.
According to Tuesday's joint statement, border management will operate under the international “front office–back office” model, with Armenian authorities retaining control over all sovereign functions. Private operators will be limited to non-sovereign roles and will work under Armenian law.
Armenia plans to launch pilot projects aimed at streamlining pre-clearance customs procedures, digitising documentation and introducing a “single checkpoint” system to facilitate trade and transit.
Private companies contracted by the TRIPP Development Company will provide services such as collecting documentation for review, offering user information and consultations, and processing payments linked to trade and transit.
Armenian officials will maintain a physical presence at all border and customs facilities.
Any private personnel involved in operational security will be required to hold licences issued in Armenia, the statement said.
The initiative is designed to strengthen regional connectivity and trade across the South Caucasus, while keeping border control and customs authority firmly under Armenian state oversight.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has begun a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, seeking to deepen political and economic cooperation as r...
The imminent expiry of New START, the last major nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, risks removing transparency, predic...
India has not made any statement on halting purchases of Russian oil despite claims by US President Donald Trump that such a step was part of a new tr...
Russia says it is prepared for a new reality in which there are no U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control limits once the New START treaty expires this wee...
Paris prosecutors have summoned X chairman Elon Musk and former chief executive Linda Yaccarino for questioning in April as part of their probe into t...
The imminent expiry of New START, the last major nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, risks removing transparency, predictability and limits on the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals, political analyst Gregory Mathieu warned.
Russia says it is prepared for a new reality in which there are no U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control limits once the New START treaty expires this week, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
Ukraine has agreed with Western partners on a plan under which repeated Russian violations of any future ceasefire would trigger swift, co-ordinated military responses by Europe and the United States, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
Talks with the U.S. should be pursued to secure national interests as long as "threats and unreasonable expectations" are avoided, President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X on Tuesday (3 February).
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States has begun negotiations with European leaders over Greenland and that an agreement is already taking shape.
Dmitry Medvedev, said European countries have failed to defeat Russia in Ukraine and have instead inflicted serious economic damage on themselves, as he criticised EU policy, praised Donald Trump as a leader who seeks peace, and said Russia would “soon” achieve military victory in the war.
The United States accused Cuba of interfering with the work of its top diplomat in Havana on Sunday (1 February) after small groups of Cubans jeered at him during meetings with residents and church representatives.
Heavy snow continued to batter northern and western Japan on Saturday (31 January) leaving cities buried under record levels of snowfall and prompting warnings from authorities. Aomori city in northern Japan recorded 167 centimetres of snow by Friday - the highest January total since 1945.
A daylight robbery at a jewellery shop in Richmond, one of London’s most affluent and traditionally quiet districts, has heightened security concerns among residents and local businesses.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has begun a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, seeking to deepen political and economic cooperation as regional tensions over Gaza, Iran and wider Middle East stability dominate the agenda.
Talks with the U.S. should be pursued to secure national interests as long as "threats and unreasonable expectations" are avoided, President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X on Tuesday (3 February).
Israel reopened the Rafah crossing on Monday (2 February) to a trickle of Palestinians for the first time in months, a major step in a U.S.-backed plan to end the war, though strict Israeli security checks slowed the process.
Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates have signed a Letter of Intent on defence cooperation during President Ilham Aliyev’s working visit to Abu Dhabi, marking a new step in expanding military ties between the two strategic partners.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to meet in Istanbul on Friday for renewed discussions on Iran’s nuclear programme, according to reporting by Axios.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment