Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and U.S. Under Secretary of State Allison Hooker met today in Yerevan and discussed steps to implement the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) that envisages building a roadway linking Azerbaijan and its Nakhijevan exclave via Armenian territory.

The project is part of a U.S.-brokered deal signed in August 2025 and involves the development of a railway, power lines, and gas pipelines, with the U.S. granted exclusive development rights for 99 years. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026. 

Pashinyan has insisted that Armenia will retain sovereign rights over the route.

Hooker, according to Pashinyan’s office, emphasized that continued cooperation between the United States and Armenia, combined with progress towards a comprehensive peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan and normalization of relations with Türkiye, promises to unlock the South Caucasus as a vital trade route.  

She said that this will create significant benefits for both the American and Armenian peoples, which has become possible thanks to the leadership of President Trump and Prime Minister Pashinyan.

Hooker noted that she’s travelled to Yerevan to discuss deepening cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, infrastructure, regional connectivity, and security.