US expert: Azerbaijan leaps forward from space of conflicts to geo-economic corridor

The “Trump Route” (TRIPP) opens opportunities for the United States to use the South Caucasus as a strategic platform for access to Central Asia, significantly boosting Azerbaijan’s geopolitical importance.

Kamran Bokhari, Senior Director for Eurasian Security and Prosperity at the American New Lines Institute, stated this at the inaugural Azerbaijan–U.S. Think Tank Forum, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

Bokhari noted that, amid global shifts and the formation of a new geostrategic architecture, the South Caucasus is undergoing a significant power rebalancing

He said Azerbaijan’s victory in the 44-day war and the full liberation of occupied territories created the conditions for active diplomacy with Armenia, opening the possibility of finally ending the conflict.

“The region now has a chance to transform from a space of conflicts into a geo-economic corridor. A key element here is the corridor running through Armenia, connecting mainland Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan and further with Türkiye. This is a strategic point of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route,” the expert said.

He emphasised that the August 8 meeting in Washington, held with the support of President Donald Trump’s administration, became a turning point for the region: “The proposed ‘Trump Route’ allows the United States and the West to use the South Caucasus for closer integration with Central Asia, which further enhances Azerbaijan’s geopolitical role.”

The expert added that Azerbaijan, sharing borders with both Russia and Iran, is steadily becoming a key link in ensuring regional security as well as transportation and energy connectivity.

The "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity" (TRIPP) is a U.S.-brokered infrastructure project aimed at establishing a multimodal transit corridor through southern Armenia, connecting Azerbaijan’s mainland to its Nakhchivan exclave. The route, approximately 40–43 km long in Armenia’s Syunik Province, includes rail, road, gas and oil pipelines, power lines, and fibre-optic cables. It is part of ongoing Azerbaijan-Armenia normalisation efforts following the 2020 Karabakh war and subsequent anti-terror operation in 2023 that fully restored Azerbaijan’s sovereignty.

By Khagan Isayev