Armenian expert`s questions concerning TRIPP Route implementation 

ArmInfo. Constitutional law expert and representative of the "Po-Nashemu" movement, Gohar Meloyan, raised a number of issues related to the implementation of the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity" (TRIPP Route) communications project.

On her Facebook page, the expert recalled that the Armenian  government is actively negotiating the general terms of the project.  According to available information, the "TRIPP Company" will be  established-an Armenian-American joint venture that will receive the  right to develop the necessary infrastructure for railways, highways,  oil and gas pipelines, as well as to lay fiber-optic communication  cables.

However, as the expert noted, many questions remain. In particular,  what will be the corporate structure of this company? How and under  what conditions will relations between this company and the Republic  of Armenia be regulated? Will a new legal entity, a separate civil  law entity, be created that will be granted the right to create and  manage the infrastructure passing through the Syunik region, or will  a new legal entity not be created, and the work will be organized on  the basis of an agreement to establish an Armenian-American joint  venture without the formation of a separate legal entity?

"If a separate legal entity is created, where will it be  registered-in Armenia, in a US state (for example, Delaware), or in a  third country? And what legal form will it have-a joint-stock  company, an investment fund, or another? Will this legal entity be  owned only by the Armenian and US parties, or is participation by  third parties possible? How will shares be distributed? How will the  charter of this legal entity define the details of profit  distribution-will profits be distributed among shares? Do  shareholders of this company have the right to alienate their shares  without the consent of the other party? How will other management  issues be determined, such as the appointment and dismissal of the  general director?  The same questions exist in the case of a joint  venture. Will this company pay taxes to the RA state budget on the  profits received, namely, from the operation of infrastructure, like  any other company operating in Armenia? Who will own this legal  entity on the US side?" asks Gohar Meloyan.

She also emphasized that, unlike the Armenian government, there has  never been a case where the US government has directly established  any legal entity or participated in any joint venture. This raises  the question of whether the US government will act through the US  Development Finance Corporation (DFC) or through a private investment  fund such as BlackRock, Vanguard, or others.  "Under what legal acts  will this company or joint venture be granted the right to develop  and operate the infrastructure, for what period, and will a separate  concession agreement be signed between the RA government and the  aforementioned company? What will be the main terms of this  agreement? Will this company pay a fee to the Republic of Armenia in  exchange for leasing the RA infrastructure, or will the territory of  the Republic of Armenia be transferred to this legal entity or joint  venture free of charge, subject to the development of the  infrastructure?  Undoubtedly, the implementation of the project will  have a huge impact on the future of the Republic of Armenia.  Therefore, these and hundreds of similar issues should not be  discussed and resolved behind closed doors and by a limited group of  officials, as is usually done with all the negative consequences, but  should be the subject of a broad discussion with the participation of  the Armenian public and the best specialists in this field. The  greatest concern regarding this process is the low professionalism  and criminal self-confidence of our representatives, spiced with  populism," the expert concluded, adding that of all the possible  scenarios, the most alarming is the most anti-Armenian scenario.

As a reminder, on August 8, 2025, a document was signed in Washington  establishing a transport corridor through Armenian territory,  connecting Azerbaijan with its Nakhichevan exclave, Nachijevan. The  TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity) project is  a 42- kilometer railway in southern Armenia. Yerevan will transfer  management of this route to Washington for a period of 99 years,  which, according to experts, could significantly change the  geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus.