Yerevan planning to build TRIPP railway line without Moscow’s participation, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes

The authorities of the United States, Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan have stepped up negotiations around the Trump Route project. In particular, Ankara is preparing to partially open its border with Yerevan next year, while the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan will continue to expand trade, Nezavisimaya Gazeta reports.

As reported, Armenia and Azerbaijan have already begun trading. Specifically, Yerevan first received grain from Russia and Kazakhstan via transit routes through Baku, and then purchased 1,300 tons of AI-95 gasoline from Azerbaijan’s SOCAR company. The sides directly link these deals to the peace agreement preliminarily signed in Washington.

At the same time, it is reported that the authorities of Turkey and Armenia have agreed to launch daily direct flights between Istanbul and Yerevan. Yerevan and Ankara are also preparing to open border checkpoints for cargo transportation.

However, the Armenian authorities have not forgotten about Moscow. They at least expect their ally to take part in restoring railway infrastructure linking Armenia with Azerbaijan and Turkey, especially since these lines are controlled by the South Caucasus Railway (SCR), a subsidiary of Russian Railways. Nevertheless, Yerevan is now planning to build the TRIPP railway line without Moscow’s participation.