Trump highlighted a new initiative called the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a connectivity project designed to link Azerbaijan with its Nakhichevan exclave via Armenian territory with reciprocal benefits for international and intra-state connectivity for Armenia.
“Three months ago, my administration also broke a historic peace agreement between nearby Armenia and Azerbaijan, one of the eight wars that we ended in eight months at that time,” the U.S. president said. “That historic accord includes the construction of the new Trump route. It’s such a beautiful thing, they named it after me. I really appreciate it. It’s actually a big deal.”
Addressing leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, Trump said that the emerging road “goes through some of the most important places economically anywhere in the world”, adding that it “will boost commercial activity on the other side of the Caspian Sea, helping nations throughout Central Asia.”
“I’m optimistic that each of the countries here today will reap the benefits of peace if they embrace the opportunity that we’ve unleashed with the [Armenian-Azerbaijani] agreement,” he added.
Citing the recent peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, during a visit to Kazakhstan last month, announced the lifting of a decades-long ban on the transit of goods to Armenia. Kazakhstani wheat became one of the first commodities transported through Azerbaijan to Armenia under this decision.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian described the first Armenia-bound shipment via Azerbaijan in nearly 35 years as an important milestone, highlighting expanding regional transport opportunities. He reiterated Armenia’s readiness to allow Azerbaijani and Turkish trucks to pass along the Margara–Kornidzor route between Turkey and Azerbaijan.
