Armenia’s sovereignty won’t suffer from TRIPP share distribution — Vice Speaker says

Armenia’s sovereignty will not be affected by the distribution of shares between Yerevan and Washington in the “Trump Route” (TRIPP) project, Armenian Vice Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan has said.

Rubinyan made the remarks while responding to criticism from former Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

Earlier, Oskanyan had argued that the project would bring no benefits to either Armenia or the United States, claiming it would serve only the interests of Türkiye and Azerbaijan. He also questioned why Armenia was allocated only a 26% stake in the project rather than 50% plus one share.

Rubinyan noted that, in theory, Armenia could have had no stake at all in the project without its sovereignty being compromised. As an example, he cited the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine, one of Armenia’s largest enterprises. Until recently, Armenia held no stake in the company, yet it operated on Armenian territory, paid taxes to the state budget, and complied with Armenian laws. According to Rubinyan, the TRIPP project will function in Armenia in a similar manner, with all the resulting implications.

Earlier, Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a document outlining the implementation mechanism of the “Trump Pathway for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) project. The document followed a meeting in Washington between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

According to the document, a company will be established with a controlling U.S. stake, while Armenia will retain oversight mechanisms on key issues. At the initial stage, the United States would hold 74%, and Armenia 26%, with the possibility of increasing Armenia’s share to 49%. 

By Khagan Isayev