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The agreement on launching TRIPP in Armenia doesn’t envisage any U.S. control over the infrastructures that are expected to be reopened as part of the project, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the Orbeli Forum 2025, Mirzoyan said that the details of the project are under discussion.
“We are negotiating the details. In my view, there will be some kind of Armenian-American enterprise that will construct the railway and handle its day-to-day management. This does not mean American control over the infrastructure. All issues related to sovereignty and jurisdiction have been resolved: Armenia will exercise full sovereign authority over the infrastructure, and Armenia’s direct jurisdiction will apply. This has been signed and made public,” Mirzoyan said, stressing that precisely this principle that does not raise concerns for Iran and Russia.
“The American presence in the region is not new. There are already companies in Armenia with American participation, as well as Argentine, French, and Chinese companies, many of which hold significant stakes in key infrastructure. What we are discussing—the reconstruction of the railway connecting Armenia and Azerbaijan—naturally attracts considerable political attention. It is very positive that a country like the United States is interested. This also has an economic component, in addition to its political significance, and becomes one of the guarantees of peace. That is why no concerns have been raised by official Tehran or Moscow. Both Iran and the Russian Federation are interested in this interconnectedness,” the minister said.
Mirzoyan recalled that there is a railway in Armenian territory that is operated by a Russian company.
TRIPP is a connectivity project in Armenia envisaged under the U.S.-brokered Armenian-Azerbaijani joint declaration signed in Washington, D.C. The project is expected to unlock strategic economic opportunities, creating long-term benefits by promoting infrastructure investment and enhancing regional connectivity. TRIPP is part of the Crossroads of Peace project.