Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian agreed to the controversial arrangement during his talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House last August. A special company controlled by the U.S. government is to build a railway, a road, energy supply lines and other infrastructure along what will be called the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). The corridor would run along Armenia’s border with Iran.
Although the deal is seen by analysts as another blow to Russian presence in Armenia, Russia’s initial reaction to it was rather cautious. Moscow indicated afterwards that it wants to be involved in the TRIPP. A senior Russian diplomat argued in mid-December that Armenia is a member of a Russian-led trade bloc and that is railway network is managed by Russia’s RZhD national rail operator. He also pointed to the presence of Russian border guards along the Armenian-Iranian border.
“Obviously, our partners cannot do without Russia,” said the official, Mikhail Kalugin.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan effectively ruled out a Russian role in the project after holding talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on January 13. The Russians could only be involved in “other activity or cooperation relating to the TRIPP,” he said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said on Friday that Moscow stands by a proposal to hold “topical consultations” with Yerevan on the matter.
“Regarding the 'Trump Road' project, as it's being called, we confirm our readiness to explore possible options for our involvement, including taking into account RZhD’s unique expertise,” Zakharova told a news briefing. “But first, it's probably worth carefully reviewing all the details of this initiative's implementation and operation. We understand that its development is only in the initial stages.”
Pashinian discussed the TRIPP with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their December 22 meeting in Saint Petersburg. On his return to Yerevan, he renewed his calls for RZhD to restore three other sections Armenia’s railway network leading to the borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey. The premier spoke on Thursday of “positive signals” coming from Moscow but did not elaborate.
“We hope that our Russian partners will not drag their feet,” he said. “If they don’t want to make those investments for some reason, we will reclaim those sections and do that on our own.”
“All requests from Yerevan are promptly processed by relevant [Russian] agencies,” Zakharova said in this regard. She did not comment further.