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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he has asked Russia to urgently address the full restoration of the railway connecting Yeraskh to the border with Nakhchivan and from Akhurik to the border with Türkiye.
Asked about the possible Russian involvement in the TRIPP project, Pashinyan stated, “The declaration clearly stipulates that it is a bilateral Armenia-United States project, and any third-party involvement can be discussed only bilaterally. This is clearly stated."
He added that any comments beyond this framework were inappropriate.
“But I have asked our Russian partners to urgently address, in particular, the full restoration of the railway from Yeraskh to the Nakhchivan border and from Akhurik to the Turkish border. I believe that in the near future, I will also raise the same issue regarding the Ijevan-Khazakh section, because I think there is also an urgent need to restore that section as quickly as possible,” he said at a press briefing.
The Prime Minister expressed hope that the Russian partners would fulfill this request as swiftly as possible.
A Russian Foreign Ministry official had earlier stated that Moscow is ready to discuss possible participation in Armenia’s TRIPP project. The official noted that South Caucasian Railways, a subsidiary of Russian Railways, holds the management concession for Armenia’s railway network.
The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (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, create long-term benefits by promoting infrastructure investment, and enhance regional connectivity. TRIPP is part of the Crossroads of Peace project, and an Armenian-American joint enterprise is expected to develop the route.