Former Armenian president’s TRIPP comments draw criticism from opposition leader

Leader of Armenia's "Respublika Party" Aram Sargsyan has reacted to comments made by former president Robert Kocharyan about the “Trump Route” project.

According to Armenian media cited by Caliber.Az, Sargsyan criticised Kocharyan’s sudden concern over the Iranian border, saying:

“Commenting on TRIPP, Robert Kocharyan says: ‘What worries me most is the factor of the border with Iran.’

It is interesting why this did not worry Mr. Kocharyan in 1999, when he proposed exchanging Meghri for Lachin — a scenario in which we would not have had a border with Iran at all!

P.S. Psychology claims that a sharp change in concerns is the result of deep depression.”

Earlier, speaking at a press conference in Yerevan, Kocharyan stated that “TRIPP will become the biggest threat to Armenia’s security.” He was responding to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s remark that Armenia’s main security guarantee would not be its army but the TRIPP project. Kocharyan argued that a combat-ready army is necessary not only to fight wars but also to secure long-term peace.

The TRIPP initiative emerged on August 8, 2025, following a trilateral meeting in Washington with US President Donald Trump, where Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint declaration on a peaceful settlement between Baku and Yerevan and the creation of a transport corridor linking mainland Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan. The project was officially named the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.”

On January 14 this year, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry released a framework agreement signed between Armenia and the US regarding the implementation of TRIPP. The document provides for the establishment of the TRIPP Development Company, which will oversee the project’s development and receive construction rights for an initial period of 49 years. Under the agreement, Armenia plans to offer the US a 74 per cent stake in the company while retaining 26 per cent. The partnership is expected to be extended for another 50 years, with additional ownership to be transferred to the Armenian government, increasing its share to 49 per cent.

By Tamilla Hasanova