Armenia Launches TRIPP Project and Prioritizes Azerbaijan Border Delimitation

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on November 2 that the Government of Armenia has begun implementing the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project. Following the National Assembly's October 28 ratification of a strategic cooperation framework with the United States, the government is initiating design work for highways, railways, and power transmission lines to avoid delays before a formal TRIPP Development Company is established. The project aims to end a 30-year blockade by unblocking Armenia in east-west and north-south directions, specifically focusing on the railway connecting Yeraskh to Karchavan.

To facilitate this construction, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan stated that Armenia seeks to resume border delimitation with Azerbaijan. While a timeline for the next phase is not yet settled, Grigoryan indicated that delimitation work may be fast-tracked in the Syunik region to ensure the efficient rollout of TRIPP infrastructure. He identified the Yeraskh section as a likely first point for reopening transport connections.

Simultaneously, Pashinyan announced a plan to gradually transfer control of all state borders to the Armenian Border Guard Troops, removing the presence of the Russian Federal Security Service, which has protected borders with Turkey and Iran since 1992. This reform, alongside the November 1 launch of a biometric passport system, is intended to meet European Union standards and achieve visa liberalization.