The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing a controversial transport corridor linking Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, using Armenian territory, during a lightning stopover in Yerevan by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. All information has been verified with a trusted, up‑to‑date source.
Rubio, returning from a four‑day trip to India, met Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan during a refuelling stop a rare high‑level US visit to the former Soviet republic, which has been steadily distancing itself from Moscow after Russia failed to prevent Azerbaijan’s 2023 offensive in Karabakh.
At Yerevan airport, Rubio initialled a new step in the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) a US‑backed road‑and‑rail corridor intended to connect Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan through Armenian territory. He described the agreement as “the biggest step to date” toward making the route a reality and boosting regional prosperity.
The latest document, not released publicly, outlines the structure of a joint venture and authorises an engineering survey, according to the US State Department. A January framework proposed giving the United States a 74 percent stake in a new TRIPP Development Company, with explicit benefits for US firms.
Armenia has assured neighbouring Iran which maintains cordial ties with Yerevan that the corridor will remain under Armenian sovereignty, not American control. The reassurance comes as tensions rise: Iran accused the US on Tuesday of violating a ceasefire after Washington carried out what it called defensive strikes in southern Iran.
Rubio also signed agreements to renew a broad strategic partnership and expand cooperation on critical minerals, a priority for Washington as it seeks to reduce reliance on China. He said the goal was to create economic opportunities for both nations “in a way that respects your sovereignty.”
Mirzoyan welcomed the commitments, calling them “truly beneficial for the Republic of Armenia” and expressing hope they would be implemented swiftly.
The visit follows a February trip by US Vice President JD Vance to both Armenia and Azerbaijan as part of Washington’s broader push for regional stability a trip overshadowed when Vance deleted a post referring to the World War I‑era mass killings of Armenians as “genocide,” a term recognised by former president Joe Biden but avoided by President Donald Trump due to Turkish objections.
As Armenia edges closer to the West freezing its membership in the Russian‑led CSTO and signalling interest in joining the EU the TRIPP corridor is emerging as a defining test of its geopolitical realignment.
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