President Donald Trump is scheduled to host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House on Friday, where they are expected to finalize a peace agreement that grants the United States exclusive development access to a critical transit corridor in the South Caucasus, which will be named after Trump, according to White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly.
“This will allow unimpeded connectivity between the two countries while respecting Armenia, sovereignty and territorial integrity and its people,” Kelly said.
“The United States will also sign Bilateral Agreements with both Countries to pursue Economic opportunities together, so we can fully unlock the potential of the South Caucasus Region,” Trump announced in a social media post on Thursday ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan..
As outlined in the forthcoming agreements, Armenia intends to grant the US long-term, exclusive rights to develop a newly designated transportation route through its territory. This corridor, dubbed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity and abbreviated as TRIPP will serve as a key infrastructure link, Kelly explained.
The project will operate under Armenian legal jurisdiction, and the United States will in turn lease the land to a consortium responsible for construction and management, according to a senior administration official.
“Working groups will launch immediately to fully implement the details of the roadmap over the coming months. By locking in this path to peace, we are unlocking the great potential of the South Caucasus region in trade, transit, and energy flows,” the official added.
In addition to the peace framework, the Armenian and Azerbaijani heads of state will endorse a formal request to disband the Minsk Group. The group, established in 1992 and co-chaired by France, Russia and the US, which has long been tasked with mediating the dispute between the two nations.
“President Trump will sign deals with both Armenia and Azerbaijan that will unlock our relationships with each country and the region while benefiting American businesses,” the White House Deputy press secretary added.
A senior administration official said the Trump administration identified the strategic opportunity in the South Caucasus as early as the end of February. Formal negotiations to determine which US entities will operate the transit corridor are expected to begin next week.
“What President Trump is going to sign today is a directive to set up the TRIPP negotiating team,” the official said.
“Since the announcement yesterday morning, I received calls from nine different operators. Was pleased to see three different American operators,” he added.
Commenting on the broader significance of the deal, a senior administration official noted, “This entire area has been shrouded in Russian language and Russian domination for many, many years.” “What President Trump has done is he’s taken the politics out of the picture and made common sense available,” he continued.
The trilateral signing coincides with a key deadline set by Trump for Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to steps to halt his invasion of Ukraine or face further economic sanctions.