Armenian FM says third-country partners will be needed for TRIPP project

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has stated that at the construction stage of the TRIPP project (Trump Route), Yerevan will need assistance from a third country as a partner, Report informs via Armenian media.

Mirzoyan made the remarks at a joint press conference with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.

"We hope to move to the next stage - construction - as soon as possible. This is where we will need third partners. Of course, the contract will be bilateral - Armenia–USA - but we will need partners both at the construction stage and, most likely, at the system management stage," Mirzoyan emphasized.

The minister added that work on the project is continuing at an intensive pace and is currently at the stage of coordinating working documents and an intergovernmental agreement.

According to him, it is no secret that although TRIPP is a bilateral project, it is driven by the interests of many countries, ranging from China to Portugal.

"One end of it should border Azerbaijan, and the other - Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan's autonomous region), but its logical continuation is the Armenian railway network to Türkiye and Central Asian countries," he said.

The foreign minister also noted that Middle Eastern countries have shown interest in the project.