U.S. yet to transfer $145 mln promised for TRIPP
“The amount being discussed concerns the first stage of funding for infrastructure and border checkpoints. As far as I know, the funds have not yet been provided,” Hovhannisyan said, noting that all details remain under negotiation. When asked about Armenia’s own investment share in the project, he responded: “I don’t possess information.”
The U.S. announced the $145 million first-phase funding earlier during a meeting between Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and Brendan Hanrahan, head of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. The support was presented as part of the August 8 Washington agreements.
Although U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier claimed that Armenia would grant exclusive 99-year rights to the U.S. for the construction and management of the route, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan denied that report. He confirmed, however, that Armenia and the U.S. plan to establish a joint consortium to serve as the railway project’s developer and main operator.
It remains unclear what the total cost of the project will be, and whether U.S. funding represents a grant or an investment.
At the August 8 summit in Washington, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and former U.S. President Donald Trump officially agreed to launch the Trump Route. Trump said at the time that the route “will allow Azerbaijan to reach Nakhichevan while fully respecting Armenia’s sovereignty,” and that the partnership would bring major infrastructure development and economic benefits to all three nations.
