There is an objective reality, and there are subjective perceptions. The objective reality is that Armenia and Azerbaijan have once again recognized each other’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, jurisdiction, and the inviolability of borders in Washington, and this implies that any routes passing through Armenian territory are subject to the sovereign decisions of Armenia and based on agreements already reached. This was stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a session of the National Assembly, responding to a question by Civil Contract MP Arusyak Julhakyan regarding recent statements by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev about the so-called 'Zangezur Corridor.'
The Prime Minister emphasized that infrastructure will exist in Armenia under the name TRIPP.
“But that’s not the whole story,” Pashinyan said. “The full story is that this agreement bears the signature of the President of the United States. It also bears the signature of the President of Azerbaijan. And when we talk about regional communications, we have outlined and signed what these communications and the unblocking process are and what they are not.”
He noted that Article 4 of the signed document specifically states that the TRIPP project is on the bilateral agenda between Armenia and the United States.
“One might ask: what does Azerbaijan have to do with this issue? The connection is that this regional communications project must link with Azerbaijan, and Armenia–Azerbaijan communications must connect with one another. However, the TRIPP project is a subject of bilateral discussions between Armenia and the United States. This document bears not only my signature and that of the U.S. President, but also the signature of the President of Azerbaijan,” Pashinyan explained.
“And even that’s not the full picture,” he added. “There is also a memorandum of understanding signed by myself and U.S. President Donald Trump on the development of the ‘Crossroads of Peace’ initiative. In that document, the United States and Armenia agreed that the project would be implemented based on the principles of Armenia’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and the inviolability of its borders, and that the U.S. is interested in investing in it.
“This is the objective reality. Everything else is subjective,” Pashinyan concluded.
