In brief: The US, Armenia and Azerbaijan have launched trilateral technical meetings to advance the 43-kilometre TRIPP corridor across southern Armenia. Initial discussions will focus on transportation and electricity transmission. The US-backed project aims to connect Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan and Turkey, strengthen trade links between Asia and Europe, and reshape regional connectivity while reducing reliance on Russia and Iran.
The United States, Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to launch a series of trilateral meetings to continue their work on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) and will start by discussing transportation and electricity transmission.
TRIPP is a planned 43-kilometre (27-mile) transport corridor that will run across southern Armenia and give Azerbaijan a direct route to its exclave of Nakhchivan and in turn to Turkey, Baku’s close ally. Work is expected to start on the connection in 2027.
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The route will be developed by a US-Armenian company, giving the US a controlling stake in the project and Washington a role in the region where Russia has traditionally held considerable influence.
Under the plan, the Armenian section will eventually carry rail and road links, as well as energy and digital infrastructure. US companies will be able to develop railways, roads, and pipelines along the route.
Transportation and electricity transmission
On Friday, officials from the three countries launched a series of trilateral technical planning groups to continue the work on the “multimodal transit route,” a statement from the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The cooperation forums will bring together policymakers and technical experts from the three countries to bring “long-term stability, economic vitality, regional connectivity, and commercial prosperity” to the region, the statement added.
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The first two planning groups will focus on transportation and electricity transmission.
The ministry called the process “a crucial step” towards resolving technical issues and moving on to the next stages of the project.
TRIPP grew out of the US-brokered peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia last year.
The route is expected to better connect Asia to Europe while, crucially for Washington, bypassing Russia and Iran at a time when Western countries are keen on diversifying energy and trade routes away from Russia due to the Ukraine conflict.
The corridor, which envisages new or updated rail infrastructure, oil and gas pipelines and fibre-optic cables, would transform the South Caucasus, a region riven by closed borders and longstanding ethnic conflicts.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous Azerbaijani region mostly populated by ethnic Armenians, broke away from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia. Azerbaijan took back full control of the region in 2023, prompting almost all of the territory’s 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia.
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