PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia's Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan stated during a panel at the World Policy Conference that the TRIPP initiative carries far broader significance than merely connecting Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan.
"TRIPP is not just a link between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan; it is a much larger and strategic project aimed at connecting Central Asia with Europe, as well as understanding commitments for mutual benefits," he said.
He emphasized that Armenia is the full owner of the project.
"This also practically means that Armenia's southern part can be connected with its northern part using the Nakhichevan railway. With the unblocking that will take place, we will have the opportunity to connect not only East with West, but also the Gulf with the Black Sea, which will be a huge transformation for the entire region. We are very interested in implementing this project," Kostanyan noted.
He added that active discussions are underway with American partners on establishing an Armenian-American joint venture in Armenia.
The deputy minister assured that not only feasibility studies have begun, but also the opening of communications in the region is already underway. As an example, after August 8, there has been a precedent of importing grain from Kazakhstan via the railway systems of Azerbaijan and Georgia.
"This is a vivid example of how regional cooperation can work and how creating additional interdependencies in the region can greatly contribute to stability and peace.
As for Armenia and Azerbaijan, the leaders of both countries have repeatedly stated after August 8 that peace has already been established between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The processes currently underway are what we prefer to call the 'institutionalization of peace,' taking further steps to develop and deepen economic ties between our two countries.
We have already started direct bilateral trade, with fuel imports from Azerbaijan, and we hope this will continue soon, as we have already clarified what Armenia will export to Azerbaijan.
At the same time, we are also working on people-to-people contacts, organizing meetings between civil society representatives. Notably, such meetings are taking place not only in foreign countries but also in Armenia and Azerbaijan," Kostanyan said.
He also noted the existence of an important format established with Georgian partners in the form of trilateral consultations between foreign ministries.
Earlier, Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington endorsed a document on Armenia-U.S. cooperation within the framework of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) program.
The published document on TRIPP implementation outlines the launch procedures of the initiative and does not create, nor is it intended to create, legal obligations for either Armenia or the United States.
Source: PanArmenian.Net
