rmenia will hold further discussions next month with the United States and Azerbaijan on practical arrangements for opening a transit corridor to Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan exclave through Armenia’s Syunik province, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Thursday.
“There are no discussions at the moment because we agreed to start discussions in September,” Pashinyan said, without providing additional details.
The corridor, referred to by some officials as the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), was discussed during an August 8 meeting at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Pashinyan indicated that the United States would have exclusive rights to the corridor, though key operational details remain unclear.
A joint declaration by Aliyev and Pashinyan makes only general reference to the TRIPP. A related U.S.-Armenian memorandum, also signed on August 8, has not been publicly released, prompting speculation that it may include provisions for an extraterritorial corridor sought by Baku. Pashinyan dismissed such claims, saying the document is “not directly related” to the TRIPP and that publication is expected soon.
Trump appeared to confirm reports of a long-term U.S. lease on the transit route, suggesting it could extend for up to 99 years. “And then they promise in 99 years they’ll extend it, right?” Trump said, addressing Pashinyan. Unnamed U.S. officials have reportedly indicated plans to sublease the land to private companies, though Pashinyan insisted there are currently no fixed agreements.
Azerbaijan has maintained that transit through Syunik should be exempt from Armenian border controls, with Aliyev stating that travelers from Nakhichevan “should not see the faces of Armenian border guards or anyone else.” Pashinyan’s comments on this matter have remained ambiguous.
