Trump plans on ensuring main transit route with Armenia-Azerbaijan agreement

(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump aims to secure exclusive American development rights to a key transit corridor in the South Caucasus during an upcoming White House summit with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Reuters reports.

The two neighbors, former Soviet republics, have long been embroiled in conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly ethnic-Armenian region that Azerbaijan regained control over in 2023. Trump announced that the leaders will meet for a trilateral summit and sign a peace agreement on Friday, alongside bilateral economic deals with both countries.

Reuters cited officials saying the framework includes exclusive, long-term US rights to manage the transit corridor, dubbed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). While the corridor will be governed under Armenian law, the US plans to lease the land to a consortium for its operation.

Azerbaijan had proposed a Zangezur corridor through Armenia’s Syunik Province to connect its exclave Nakhchivan to the mainland, a move resisted by Yerevan. Recently, reports surfaced that Armenia quietly agreed to cede a strategic corridor to the US, though the Armenian government denied these claims, calling them propaganda.

Prime Minister Pashinyan faces domestic unrest over his concessions to Azerbaijan, with protests accusing him of betraying national interests after handing over border areas.

MENAFN09082025000045015687ID1109906258