Russia is losing its status as a key player in the South Caucasus due to a new transit project
Russia is finally losing its position as the main player in the South Caucasus amid the implementation of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project. This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine. A key element of the initiative is a joint Armenian-American management company, which will ensure the project's operation and communication between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which until recently were at war, for at least 49 years.
TRIPP plans to build oil and gas pipelines, lay fibre-optic networks, and develop railway and road infrastructure along the railway branch bordering Iran. According to the beneficiaries' plan, this corridor should become an important part of the Trans-Caspian route connecting China and Kazakhstan with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and European countries.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said that Russia's participation in the project had not been discussed with either the American or Armenian sides. Thus, Moscow is effectively removing itself from processes in which it recently positioned itself as the only regional communicator.
At the same time, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan issued a stern demand to Russian Railways, the concessionaire of the Armenian railway, to quickly restore the destroyed connection to the borders of Azerbaijan and Turkey. If the work is not carried out, Armenia is ready to finance it itself, which, according to Pashinyan, will call into question the advisability of Russia's continued presence in the region.
Source and illustration: FISU
