Russia open to Armenia talks on “Trump path.”
Mikhail Kalugin, Director of the Fourth Department of the CIS Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told RIA Novosti that the details of the Armenian-American project still require further consideration, and that Moscow is ready to consult with its Armenian partners to discuss the parameters of the initiative, as well as the possibility of Russia’s participation in it.
He noted that a large part of the road passes through a route controlled by Russian border guards.
On Friday, August 17, 2021, at an official ceremony at the White House, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in the presence of US President Donald Trump, signed a peace agreement that will end more than three decades of bitter conflict between the two South Caucasus republics.
One of the main pillars of the agreement is the creation of a corridor called the “Trump Path to International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP); A passage that connects Nakhchivan to the Republic of Azerbaijan through Armenian territory. This region, which was previously isolated from the Azerbaijani mainland due to its geographical location, is now becoming a regional connectivity highway with US support.
The White House announced that this new transit route, while preserving the territorial integrity of Armenia, will be a path for sustainable development, free transportation, and expanding regional cooperation. The US will also pursue infrastructure and technology investments with its regional partners on this route. Armenia is also set to begin exclusive cooperation with the United States to develop this route; an agreement that could last up to 99 years.
Some analysts on the Caucasus believe that the tripartite agreement between Trump, Pashinyan, and Aliyev in the White House is a completion of the US project of influence in this region, as well as access to the waters of the Caspian Sea; There is also speculation that the United States and the Republic of Azerbaijan are the only winners of this agreement, and that it will only provide a short-term pause in the conflict between Yerevan and Baku.