ArmInfo. The US needs a corridor through Armenia to export critical minerals from Central Asia and control Iran. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk stated this in an interview with TASS.
"For Washington, the 'Trump Route' is an international transport corridor that ensures the export of critical minerals from Central Asia to the US, as well as control over Iran's northern border," Overchuk noted.
"There are many interests tied to this route. Everyone even calls it by different names," the Russian Deputy Prime Minister said. According to him, from Baku's perspective, the Zangezur Corridor is important for restoring connectivity between the two parts of the country, opening direct communication with Turkey, and developing Azerbaijan as a Eurasian transport and logistics crossroads.
At the same time, he expressed his conviction that the arrival of "outsiders" in the South Caucasus region would upset the existing security balance, as the conflict over Iran clearly demonstrated.
"Professional international relations experts understand that the arrival of outsiders in the South Caucasus region would upset the existing security balance. The war between the US and Iran demonstrates how quickly all countries in the region, which never imagined they could be affected, are drawn into these events," he said.
On January 14, the Armenian Foreign Ministry published a framework document signed with the American side in Washington for the implementation of the Trump Roadmap for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). The 12-page document outlines the project's main objectives and operational mechanisms.
Among other things, the document emphasizes Armenia's intention to authorize and support the establishment of the TRIPP Development Company. The company is expected to be responsible for developing the TRIPP project, receiving an initial development right for a period of 49 years. Armenia intends to offer the United States a 74% stake in the TRIPP Development Company, retaining 26%. This partnership is expected to be extended for another 50 years, with an additional ownership stake granted to the Armenian government, bringing its stake to 49%.
As a reminder, on August 8, 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a joint seven-point "Declaration of Peace" in Washington. It envisages 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 that will connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, surrounded by Armenia, Turkey and Iran.
