US envoy visits Georgia for talks on new Armenia–Azerbaijan route

On November 18, Jonathan Askonas, a senior representative of the U.S. State Department, arrived in Georgia.

His visit focuses on the country’s role in the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a new transportation corridor emerging from the August 8 peace summit between Armenia and Azerbaijan mediated by the United States, Caliber.Az reports, citing U.S. Embassy.

During his visit, Dr Askonas travelled to the Sadakhlo border crossing, a facility built and largely equipped with U.S. support.

His programme also includes meetings with officials from Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Government Administration, along with representatives of international financial institutions.

TRIPP is a U.S.-facilitated infrastructure initiative designed to create a multimodal transport corridor across southern Armenia.

The passage, expected to span around 40–43 kilometres in Syunik, would link mainland Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan exclave via road and rail, as well as energy and digital infrastructure such as oil and gas pipelines, electricity lines, and fibre-optic cables.

The project forms part of the broader Azerbaijan–Armenia normalisation process that has advanced since the 2020 Karabakh conflict and the 2023 anti-terror operation, after which Azerbaijan regained full sovereignty over its territory.

By Aghakazim Guliyev