Armenian PM Announces TRIPP Construction to Begin in 2026

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that construction of TRIPP, a crucial component of the Middle Corridor trade network, is set to begin in the second half of 2026.

TRIPP, or the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, is a central feature of a provisional peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan signed in Washington in August. The corridor would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave across Armenian territory, The Caspian Post reports citing Eurasianet.

In his most expansive comments to date concerning a construction timeline, Pashinyan told MPs that the parameters of TRIPP’s configuration and operations are expected to be completed during the first half of 2026, adding that construction would commence soon after all outstanding details were finalized.

Among the unresolved questions concerning the corridor is the potential role of American contractors in both administering operations and providing security. Pashinyan has insisted that Armenia will retain sovereign rights over the the route.

Pashinyan stated that TRIPP will comprise a railway that traces an existing but antiquated Soviet-era course, along with a natural gas pipeline and a power line. He did not make any mention of a highway being part of TRIPP, but added that plans are subject to change.

“I don’t want to go into too much detail because the timeframe for such projects often changes,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan said in parliament that Armenian and Azerbaijani negotiators were working to delimit sections of the two countries’ shared frontier, adding that certain sections need to be prioritized. “It is possible that there will be sections that will need to be delimited urgently to facilitate the development of TRIPP infrastructure," Grigoryan noted.