Armenia’s Parliament has ratified a framework agreement with the US on strategic cooperation concerning the Trump Route (TRIPP), which is meant to connect mainland Azerbaijan to its exclave Nakhchivan. The agreement was passed on Wednesday with only the ruling Civil Contract party’s support. The opposition voted against.

Plans for the route were reached during the Washington summit in August 2025, which resulted in the initialling, but not the signing, of a peace treaty.

A bilateral document with the US and Armenia described the route as being  ‘expected to generate reciprocal benefits for international and intra-state connectivity for the Republic of Armenia’.

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan presented the agreement during a parliament debate on Tuesday, highlighting its political and security benefits alongside its economic potential.

‘By connecting Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as third countries, this project will significantly strengthen the peace, stability, and security surrounding the Republic of Armenia and between Armenia and Azerbaijan — an objective that was established from the outset during the project’s negotiation phase’, Mirzoyan said.

Under the framework, the US is set to hold a 74% stake in the TRIPP Development Company, with Armenia holding the remaining 26%. The company would manage and oversee the route.

The document repeatedly stresses that Armenia would retain ‘legislative, regulatory, and judicial authority’ over all areas covered by the Trump Route, as well as ‘control over national security and law enforcement’. Armenian authorities would also retain powers over border control, taxes, customs duties, and other matters.

The framework proposes a ‘front office — back office’ operating model to manage the route. Private operators contracted by the TRIPP Development Company would staff the front office, handling tasks such as collecting documents and fees and processing payments for people entering Armenia from Azerbaijan. Decisions would remain the responsibility of Armenian authorities.

The arrangement appears designed to address Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s demand that Azerbaijani nationals not ‘see the face’ of Armenian border guards.

Opposition warns of risks

On Tuesday, the opposition Armenia Alliance faction announced that it would vote against the agreement, arguing that ‘Azerbaijan’s interests are reflected more directly in this document than the interests of Armenia’.

In response to a question from Narek Karapetyan, the leader of the opposition Strong Armenia Alliance, Mirzoyan stated that the Trump Route could become operational before a peace treaty is signed, and that the development of cooperation could itself help accelerate its signing.

Karapetyan, however, counterargued that the Trump Route launch and the signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan should be interconnected. He warned that Azerbaijan could lose its incentive to sign the treaty once the route becomes operational and then introduce additional conditions.

‘If we ratify it early and Azerbaijan gets TRIPP [Trump Route], then the time comes when it puts forward unfeasible conditions, such as constitutional changes, I can see that it has set an unrealistic condition to obstruct the process, and that it will keep adding more conditions. In that case, our country will be screwed, excuse my language, because Azerbaijan will still get the road, but we will not get our share, so to speak, of the unblocking of regional transport routes’, Karapetyan said.

In response to questions about guarantees of the project, he pointed at the interests of  both Armenia and Azerbaijan, and third countries.

‘It is impossible for Azerbaijan to transport cargo to Nakhchivan and there will be no possibility for Armenia to transport cargo through Azerbaijani territory’, he said.