Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan clarified where other infrastructure, apart from the railway, will pass within the framework of the TRIPP project.
Modern.az reports that the minister spoke about this while presenting the draft agreement on the TRIPP project at the Foreign Relations Committee of the Armenian Parliament.
“I can’t really imagine laying a gas or oil pipeline along the railway in the Meghri area,” Mirzoyan said.
According to him, that area, located between the Aras River and the rocks, is very narrow and there is not enough space to place infrastructure there. The minister believes that a railway and power lines can pass through this area. Similar infrastructure also existed here during the Soviet era.
Mirzoyan noted that other infrastructure lines can be laid along different routes, and it is not only about Syunik province.
“Perhaps the oil pipeline will pass through the north of Armenia. The route has not yet been determined. Therefore, I cannot talk about the width of TRIPP, because there is no such indicator,” the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized.
The TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity) project envisages the creation of a strategic transit corridor passing through Armenia's Syunik province.
It is emphasized that the project will operate within Armenia's jurisdiction and will not affect the country's sovereignty.
According to the agreement, Armenia intends to grant the US exclusive long-term rights for up to 99 years for the development of the route. Azerbaijan, in turn, will be able to establish a land connection with Nakhchivan through this route.
The project envisages the creation of a company in which the US will have a controlling stake, while also maintaining Armenia's control mechanisms on principal issues.
In the initial stage, it is proposed that the US share in the company will be 74 percent, and Armenia's share will be 26 percent. In case the agreement is extended, there is also a possibility of increasing Armenia's share to 49 percent.
It should be noted that on May 26, during the short visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Armenia, the parties initialed the mentioned framework agreement. In early June, the document was signed.
