Scenarios under discussion for leasing Trump Route for 49 or 99 years: Highlights from Pashinyan’s speech

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has addressed issues related to TRIPP, the transit of Turkish cargo trucks to Azerbaijan, and other regional transport matters. Below are the key points of his remarks:

Armenia is ready to ensure the transit of Turkish cargo trucks to Azerbaijan—and vice versa—starting today, via the Margara and Kornidzor crossings. “We are proposing this because the route is ready right now,” Pashinyan said.

A joint Armenia–U.S. company will be established to manage TRIPP. In all matters of strategic importance, Armenia will have a decisive vote within this company.

Armenia and the United States are discussing two possible scenarios for leasing the so-called Trump Route—either 49 years or 99 years.

Regarding the continuation of the railway from east to west, Pashinyan said Armenia’s vision is for the line to enter from Azerbaijan through Meghri into Nakhijevan, then continue through Yeraskh, and extend toward the Turkish border at Akhurik for operational use. Only a short segment requires rehabilitation, and work on that section has already begun.

Pashinyan stated that another historic development has occurred: for the first time since Armenia’s independence, freight shipments from Russia and Kazakhstan have entered Armenia via Azerbaijan’s railway network.