A senior Russian diplomat on Monday cast doubt on the Armenian government’s ability to open a U.S.-administered transit corridor for Azerbaijan without Russia’s and Iran’s consent.
Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin reiterated Moscow’s desire to have a role in the planned Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) that would run along the Armenian-Iranian border.
“The ‘Trump Route’ will pass through an area guarded by Russian border guards, who have been guarding Armenia’s borders with Turkey and Iran for decades alongside their Armenian counterparts,” he told RTVI, a Russian-language broadcaster. “So one way or another, Russia’s opinion will have to be taken into account, as will the opinion of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Therefore, we believe the project would only benefit from Russian participation.”
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian agreed to the transit arrangement during his talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House last August. Although the deal is seen by analysts as another blow to Russian presence in Armenia, Russia’s initial reaction to it was rather cautious. Moscow indicated afterwards that it wants to be involved in the TRIPP.
Yerevan is even less likely to accept such involvement now that it is facing unprecedented Russian economic and political pressure over its pro-Western foreign policy. Moscow banned imports of Armenian agricultural products and beverages and threatened to impose more economic sanctions in the run-up to Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections.
Trump cited Pashinian’s commitment to the TRIPP when he endorsed the Armenian premier for reelection on May 28. Under a U.S.-Armenian agreement signed in the following days, the U.S. government is to gain a 74 percent stake in a joint venture that will build and manage a railway, a road, energy supply lines and other infrastructure connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave.
Galuzin claimed that prospects for the implementation of the TRIPP project are “uncertain” also because it is opposed by Iran.
“I think that after the unprovoked aggression against Iran by the U.S. and Israel Iran is unlikely to be thrilled about the presence of the United States of America right on its northern border,” he said.
Tehran expressed concern over the TRIPP even before the war. Iranian diplomats repeated those concerns late last month.
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