Politics

Armenia and the United States signed a joint statement on TRIPP

The Governments of the Republic of Armenia and the United States of America released the following statement.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today in Washington, D.C., to release the Trump Initiative for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) Implementation Framework. This document, published below, marks a new step toward implementing the commitments made at the White House on August 8, 2025, to advance lasting peace in the South Caucasus.

The Framework outlines a concrete path for implementing TRIPP, designed to establish seamless, multimodal transit connectivity across Armenia. By connecting the bulk of Azerbaijan to the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic and establishing a vital link in the Trans-Caspian trade route, TRIPP is expected to deliver mutual benefits for the Republic of Armenia through improved international and domestic connectivity.

Reflecting the principles established at the historic Peace Summit hosted by President Trump on August 8, 2025, the TRIPP Implementation Framework emphasizes the importance of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and reciprocity to the overall success of TRIPP. The ultimate goal of TRIPP is to strengthen the prosperity and security of Armenia and Azerbaijan and to promote American trade by expanding regional trade and connectivity and creating new transit opportunities that connect Central Asia and the Caspian Sea to Europe.

TRIPP Implementation Framework

This document outlines the implementation framework for the Trump Way for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). This Framework does not create, and is not intended to create, legal obligations or liabilities for Armenia or the United States.

Overview

On August 8, in Washington, D.C., the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan signed a Joint Declaration that laid the foundation for the opening of domestic, bilateral, and international transport communications, in the presence of the President of the United States. This TRIPP Implementation Framework provides further details on establishing TRIPP and advances the goals of the Joint Declaration.

TRIPP aims to create seamless, multimodal transit connectivity across Armenia's territory, contributing to regional peace, stability, and integration while respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and jurisdiction of states. By connecting the central part of Azerbaijan to the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic and creating a vital link in the Trans-Caspian trade route, this initiative is expected to deliver mutual benefits for the Republic of Armenia through improved international and domestic connectivity.

Through TRIPP, the United States seeks to:

Based on the August 8 Joint Declaration, to ensure progress towards lasting peace,
to open communication, trade, and connectivity in the South Caucasus to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the region,
to expand market access and vital supply chains in the Trans-Caspian region,
to present to the world an example of peace built through prosperity.

Through TRIPP, Armenia seeks to:

enhance Armenia's role as a regional transit and economic hub,
attract foreign investment in Armenia's infrastructure,
build institutional capacity for modern border management and trade facilitation,
create sustainable revenue streams and purchasing rights for Armenia,
strengthen the strategic partnership with the United States,
promote regional integration and regulation,
Expand Armenia's export potential to new markets.

The expected benefits to the United States through TRIPP are:

opening new markets for American investment, business, and goods;
regional trade connectivity that will bring raw materials, critical minerals, and rare earth metals to American markets;
additional trade routes between the United States, Europe, and Asia, ensuring that people and goods can move freely, regardless of geopolitical shifts.

The expected benefits to Armenia and the people of Armenia through TRIPP are:

employment: job opportunities for qualified Armenian citizens;
joint ventures: opportunities between international and Armenian companies;
technology transfer: capacity building for Armenian companies;
training: skills development for the Armenian workforce;
reinvestment in the region.

COMMITMENT TO SUCCESS

Armenia's Commitment

Armenia is committed to the success of TRIPP as a strategic initiative that serves its national interests. Armenia intends to take the following steps:

to demonstrate full cooperation and support for the TRIPP Development Company,
to ensure effective coordination between Armenian government bodies, facilitate the timely implementation of permits, approvals, and regulatory processes;
maintain open communication with U.S. partners;
work toward regional regulation to realize the full potential of TRIPP;
Develop differentiated procedures for people, vehicles, and goods, including between Azerbaijan and its Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, in both directions, in accordance with Armenian laws, regulations, international agreements, and international standards.

Prerequisites for Success

Armenia and the United States recognize that the success of TRIPP depends on:

further institutionalization of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan;
progress toward a comprehensive settlement of the Armenia-Turkey conflict;
sustained U.S. engagement;
regional cooperation and stability;
Effective capacity building of Armenian institutions.

Strategic Partnership

TRIPP is a manifestation of the deepening strategic partnership between Armenia and the United States. Armenia views this project as a foundation for long-term cooperation in infrastructure, economic development, and regional integration.

TRIPP DEVELOPMENT COMPANY BASE

TRIPP shall be implemented within the Framework of planned transit routes in Armenia, at locations to be specified in the future, while maintaining Armenia's full sovereignty over the entire project coverage within its territory. The TRIPP Development Company, with the United States as the controlling party and Armenia as the controlling party in matters of principle, aims to ensure the development and implementation of TRIPP infrastructure.

Armenia intends to authorize and support the establishment of the TRIPP Development Company. The company is expected to develop TRIPP, with development rights granted for an initial period of 49 years. Armenia intends to offer the United States a 74% stake in the TRIPP Development Company and retain a 26% stake. It is expected that this partnership will be extended for another 50 years, with additional ownership transferred to the Government of Armenia, bringing its stake to 49%.

It is expected that any change in the shareholders of the TRIPP Development Company (including the sale, donation, merger, spin-off, reorganization, or any other legal or factual action) and the change in the ultimate beneficial owners of the TRIPP Development Company will be subject to prior agreement with the Governments of Armenia and the United States.

Armenia and the United States intend to work together to develop the corporate structure of the TRIPP Development Company. The structure is expected to reflect the following issues:

1) the involvement of the Governments of Armenia and the United States in specific decisions and matters relating to the operation of the multimodal transit route, and

2) financial return to the United States for its initial investment, or other economic benefits to the Government of the United States or to U.S. companies.

It is anticipated that decisions on specific sensitive issues within the scope of the identified problems of principle will be made jointly by the Armenia-U.S. Steering Committee.

The TRIPP Development Company is expected to implement the TRIPP rail and road projects directly and to establish subsidiaries or special-purpose entities for other TRIPP components.

Armenia's share in the TRIPP Development Company reflects its contribution to the following:

Land use (development) rights along the transit routes,
Existing infrastructure assets (subject to further discussion),
Regulatory support and expedited permitting procedures,
In-kind contributions related to border and customs infrastructure,
Cash contributions as needed.

Each country intends to designate a high-ranking government official as the primary coordinator for TRIPP implementation, responsible for inter-agency coordination and serving as the primary point of contact for the TRIPP Development Company.

GRANT OF CONSTRUCTION RIGHTS

Armenia intends to grant the TRIPP Development Company the following exclusive rights:

plan, design, develop, construct, operate, and maintain multimodal transit infrastructure within designated transit routes,
create special-purpose entities for specific infrastructure projects,
contract with construction companies, operators, and service providers,
generate and collect revenues from infrastructure operations,
Manage the TRIPP route within an integrated system.

Development rights may include, but are not limited to:

Railway infrastructure: railways, terminals, stations, rolling stock structures,
Road infrastructure: highways, roads, bridges, tunnels,
Energy infrastructure: electricity transmission systems, oil pipelines, gas pipelines,
Digital infrastructure: fiber optic networks,
supporting infrastructure: administrative structures, utilities, safety and security systems, in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Armenia.

The TRIPP Development Company may collect and retain revenues from various sources, which will include, but will not be limited to:

infrastructure access fees,
commercial activities within the transit route,
property lease and development,
service fees,
Revenue shares from special purpose entities.

Armenia expressly reserves.

legislative, regulatory, and judicial jurisdiction, subject to full sovereignty and territorial integrity over the entire TRIPP coverage in the sovereign territory of Armenia, including the authority to enforce laws and regulations in accordance with the domestic laws of Armenia and international agreements,
oversight of national security and law enforcement activities,
Customs and Border Control jurisdiction over trade and transit through TRIPP,
jurisdiction over taxes, customs duties, and other mandatory payments for trade and transit,
access to all sections of the sovereign territory of Armenia,
jurisdiction to apply all Armenian laws to the parts of the transit route in the sovereign territory of Armenia.

SPECIAL PURPOSE ORGANIZATIONS

It is expected that the TRIPP Development Company, in parallel with the direct implementation of the TRIPP rail and road components, will establish separate legal structures for the major infrastructure components, subject to further study and analysis. Each entity is expected to have governance, financing, and operational models appropriate to the specific infrastructure type and its strategic considerations. All special-purpose entities should initially be established by the TRIPP Development Company, with the understanding that private-sector investment opportunities may be discussed at a later stage, on a case-by-case basis.

BORDER SECURITY AND CUSTOMS CONTROL

Basic Principles

Armenia's sovereignty and jurisdiction over border and customs operations are absolute and indisputable. All border and customs activities are expected to be conducted in accordance with internationally recognized border management standards, adhering to the principles of the August 8 Declaration and using a "front office-back office" operating model.

Integrated Border Management

Armenia intends to continue to develop and implement modern integrated border management practices, which the United States can support with technical assistance, including:

risk-based inspection and customs clearance procedures,
modern screening technologies,
digital customs and border systems,
coordinated interagency processes,
professional capacity building of Armenian officials.

Pilot Projects

Armenia intends to implement pilot projects to optimize:

customs pre-clearance procedures,
digital document flow and processing,
"one-stop" border post concepts,
risk assessment using technology,
coordinated border management with neighboring countries.

"Front Office - Back Office" Operating Model

It is expected that, to enhance TRIPP's effectiveness while preserving Armenia's sovereignty and jurisdiction, a "front office - back office" model will be implemented, leveraging digital tools to facilitate seamless communication.

"Front Office" (Third Party Operators)

It is envisaged that private operators contracted by the TRIPP Development Company will provide the following face-to-face customer service services:

preliminary collection of documents for verification,
provision of information and guidance for users,
collection of trade and transit fees and processing of payments. RA taxes, customs duties, and other mandatory payments shall be directly collected from the RA
state budget in accordance with the current legislation and fiscal procedures,
facilitation and coordination,
administrative support.

Back Office (State Bodies of the Republic of Armenia)

The customs and border officials of the Republic of Armenia exercise all sovereign powers in accordance with the Republic of Armenia's internal legislation and international agreements.

Final customs decisions and formalities,
Security screening and implementation,
Migration control,
Law enforcement actions,
Permits and approvals,
Inspection and verification.

Clear jurisdiction

Front office operators support, but they do not decide.
Armenian officials maintain a physical presence at all border and customs facilities in Armenia; no sovereign functions are outsourced.

Customs procedures

Armenia will continue to develop and introduce:

Risk-based selectivity - modern cargo screening with centralized physical inspections,
transit regime for goods in transit,
pre-arrival processing: electronic submission and processing of documents,
Single window systems: integrated platforms for commercial documents,
Harmonized procedures: compliance with international customs standards.

Security operations

Armenia retains complete jurisdiction over its sovereign territory.
Armenia's security authorities must approve infrastructure security projects.
Armenian authorities have primacy in all emergencies.
Private operational security personnel may be employed, subject to licensing by the Republic of Armenia.

Data systems and sovereignty

Modern information systems will be installed for border and customs management.
All government data systems will remain under the sovereign control of the Republic of Armenia.
Data exchange with foreign authorities requires appropriate legal frameworks.
Cybersecurity standards will comply with international best practices.
Processing of personal data will comply with Armenian legislation.

Training and Capacity Building

The United States intends to support, as appropriate, comprehensive training and capacity building for Armenian border and customs personnel, including: