Armenian FM: Third-country  involvement in TRIPP possible only once  construction starts

ArmInfo. The involvement of third countries in the Armenian-American "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity" (TRIPP) project will only be possible once work 'on the ground" begins, as stated by Armenian  Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan at a joint press conference with his Estonian counterpart on April 10.

When asked to clarify who the US State Department had in mind when  speaking about Yerevan and Washington's interaction with third  countries in implementing TRIPP, Mirzoyan noted that, despite  unfavorable, to put it mildly, global and regional developments, work  on the project continues.

According to the Armenian Foreign Minister, the preparation and  approval of the necessary documents is currently underway, and the  parties are constantly exchanging information on their respective  positions on various issues. "We hope to start the construction as  soon as possible. We will need third-party partners here. Of course,  the agreement between Armenia and the United States is bilateral. But  during the construction phase, the participation of third countries  will be necessary, possibly also matters of  system management," the  Foreign Minister explained.

Mirzoyan added that it's no secret that the project is in the  interests of many countries, from China to Portugal, not to mention  Armenia's immediate neighbors. The Armenian Foreign Minister recalled  that the TRIPP project will conclude in Azerbaijan at one end and  Nakhichevan at the other, but its logical continuation is a  connection with Armenian railways via Yeraskh and the Turkish roads  via Kars-Gyumri.  The countries of Central Asian  are also   interested in the project. He said it was discussed during the recent  visit of the Kazakh Foreign Minister and Minister of Transport.  "Right now, there's nothing concrete that I can share with the  public," Mirzoyan said.