Armenian FM says U.S. talks on TRIPP excluded Turkey, Russia

Armenia did not discuss involving Turkey or Russia in the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) during talks with the United States, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Wednesday.

Ararat Mirzoyan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to announce the release of the TRIPP Implementation Framework.

Speaking at a news conference in Washington, Mirzoyan said TRIPP remains a joint Armenia-U.S. business initiative focused on East-West connectivity, which together with North–South infrastructure will form the “crossroads of peace” outlined by the Armenian government.

Mirzoyan said that reopening regional transport links cannot be achieved solely through Armenia-Azerbaijan border opening and railway restoration, and that broader regional participation would be needed for a major Asia-EU logistics corridor to emerge.

He said talks with Turkey on regional unblocking were ongoing and “constructive” with potential progress expected soon, but added that Turkey’s role would not be within TRIPP itself. Without reopening the Gyumri-Kars railway, he said, freight could not transit through Turkey to Europe.

Mirzoyan also said Russia’s participation in TRIPP was not discussed. While Russia would not be excluded from broader regional connectivity, he said any Russian involvement could come through related projects rather than within TRIPP directly.