ArmInfo. In order to increase economic benefits and effectively compete with the Kars-Igdir-Dilichu railway, the Yeraskh-Gyumri-Akhurik railway should also be included in the TRIPP project. Of course, Russia will oppose this, but we must be prepared. Haykaz Fanyan, head of the ACSES analytical center, shared his assessment.
According to Fanyan, the publication of the document defining the framework for the implementation of the "Trump Path for International Peace and Prosperity" project (TRIPP Implementation Framework) brought clarity to many issues, which was necessary to protect the project from unnecessary speculation. "For me, as an economist, it is clear that TRIPP, combined with the two other memoranda of understanding signed on August 8, makes Armenia a center of American economic interests in our region, the South Caucasus," he wrote on social media. The economist notes that, according to expert estimates, the TRIPP investment package alone (railway and road) currently amounts to approximately $500-600 million (the Meghri section).
"But this is just the tip of the iceberg. This presence will manifest itself in various ways in our economy, from lower interest rates on our Eurobonds to the intentions of major international companies to open offices in Armenia.
In this context, it is incorrect to link economic benefits solely to TRIPP, for the simple reason that this is just the tip of the iceberg. It is obvious that US economic interests are much broader:" the head of the ACSES think tank believes.
Yesterday, at a government briefing, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that it is currently impossible to provide precise amounts of the necessary investments, since the implementation of the initiative requires the development of individual projects, including infrastructure ones. "For example, a railway needs to be built-how much it will cost and what investments will be required is impossible to say right now. Only expert estimates can be made. This requires a feasibility study and a project. Only after the project is approved and the calculations are completed will the cost of each individual project be known," Pashinyan noted. "Regarding American investments: as far as I know, $140 million has already been allocated for the preparatory phase of the project," he added.
Responding to ArmInfo's question about Armenia's share of the project's investment and whether Yerevan knows where to get the funding, Prime Minister Pashinyan stated: "The current situation is that it's not the Republic of Armenia that's looking for money, but the Republic of Armenia itself that's looking for money."
As a reminder, on August 8, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a seven-point joint "Declaration of Peace" in Washington. It calls for a joint appeal to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to terminate the OSCE Minsk Process and related structures, as well as the creation of a transport corridor through Armenian territory connecting Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, surrounded by Armenia, Turkey, and Iran.
Yesterday, at a government briefing, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that it is currently impossible to provide precise amounts of the necessary investments, since the implementation of the initiative requires the development of individual projects, including infrastructure ones. "For example, a railway needs to be built-how much it will cost and what investments will be required is impossible to say right now. Only expert estimates can be made. This requires a feasibility study and a project. Only after the project is approved and the calculations are completed will the cost of each individual project be known," Pashinyan noted. "Regarding American investments: as far as I know, $140 million has already been allocated for the preparatory phase of the project," he added.
Responding to ArmInfo's question about Armenia's share of the project's investment and whether Yerevan knows where to get the funding, Prime Minister Pashinyan stated: "The current situation is that it's not the Republic of Armenia that's looking for money, but the Republic of Armenia itself that's looking for money."
As a reminder, on August 8, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a seven-point joint "Declaration of Peace" in Washington. It calls for a joint appeal to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to terminate the OSCE Minsk Process and related structures, as well as the creation of a transport corridor through Armenian territory connecting Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, surrounded by Armenia, Turkey, and Iran.
