Trump Route Has Far Greater Capacity Than Originally Understood - US Special Envoy (Exclusive Interview)

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 3. The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) has a far greater capacity than originally understood, the U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions (SEPM) Aryeh Lightstone said in an exclusive interview with Trend on the sidelines of the Baku Energy Week.

“When we started TRIPP, we did not understand the complete capacity that it would have. We thought this was a good way to be able to connect Azerbaijan with its exclave and to make sure that there would be permanent peace with Armenia. We only have come to understand that Azerbaijan becomes a central focus going to the C5 (five Central Asian countries), which is now the C6 (five Central Asian countries plus Azerbaijan), and extending all the way to the west. If you look at what's happening in the world today, regional integration is critical, energy security and consistency is everything, and being able to have the Trump Route shows that with good leadership and strong vision, you can connect infrastructure and create prosperity,” he said.

The special envoy pointed out that TRIPP is the correct solution to building peace in the South Caucasus region.

“The United Nations wasn't going to create trust between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Europeans weren't going to come in and build trust here. None of your other neighbors were going to come in and build trust here. But President Trump, who has a reputation for talking directly and trying to address problems head on, said, I will put my name on this opportunity to be able to build trust. This isn't a band-aid to a problem, this is actually the correct solution. If we were doing this from scratch, we would have TRIPP, because you should be able to have direct connectivity from the Trans-Caspian all the way to Europe. It didn't exist because of conflict, and it will exist because of your leadership and because of President Trump,” he added.

Lightstone also talked broadly about the growing importance of the Middle Corridor, with TRIPP highlighted as part of its evolving connectivity framework.

“If you go north from here, it is complicated; if you go south from here, it is complicated. This part of the world, which was never known for stability, is now the most stable. And if you want to invest where there is certainty of law, certainty of rules, and certainty of opportunity, this is the place to invest and it does not matter where you are - whether in critical minerals, gas, energy, telecom, or AI. Who would have thought we would be talking about Baku as a potential AI capital, not just of the region, but of the world? Because when I look to invest in a place with power, fiber optics, peaceful relations with its neighbors, and easy east-west connectivity, you are right here in the middle of it. And when you look at all the other alternatives, there is always a problem. So, this one looks much more attractive,” he explained.

Further, the special envoy touched upon broader cooperation opportunities between the American and Azerbaijani businesses.

“Relations between the presidents of the two countries are very good. We need to develop long-term relationships between our countries. We are going to figure out how to interact. Today, Oracle is signing an MOU, Exxon and Chevron are here, and Apollo is an investor here today. Baku Energy Week brings all of these together. We are ready to move into new areas; we just need to know there is an opportunity there. Americans will move quickly when they see this is a place where we can succeed,” said Lightstone.

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