Armenian Parliament Approves U.S.-Backed Route Linking Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan

Armenia's parliament has ratified a U.S.-backed framework to develop a transit corridor connecting Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, advancing a project that would establish a long-term American commercial presence along Armenia's southern border.

Lawmakers approved the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) agreement on October 28 by 63 votes to 32, with no abstentions, according to Armenpress.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's ruling Civil Contract party supported the legislation. The opposition Strong Armenia and Armenia factions voted against it.

U.S.-Backed Corridor Clears Parliamentary Vote

The agreement establishes the framework for a transport link across Armenia's Syunik region, covering approximately 42-44 kilometers near Meghri along the Arax River and the Iranian border.

The route would connect mainland Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan, with onward access to Türkiye and European markets. It forms part of the broader Middle Corridor transport network.

Azerbaijan refers to the project as the Zangezur Corridor. Washington first floated the idea of overseeing the route as a U.S.-backed corridor in the disputed area.

Rail infrastructure will receive priority, with proposed train speeds reaching 160 km/h. The development also envisages highways, electricity transmission lines and fiber-optic networks, with oil and gas pipelines under consideration.

Armenian officials have excluded any U.S. military deployment from the project, which is intended exclusively for civilian and commercial use.

Washington Secures Majority Stake

The framework provides for a development venture registered in Armenia, with the American side holding 74% and Armenia retaining 26%. The deal adds to a widening set of agreements between Washington and Yerevan.

The U.S. stake will be controlled through TDC US, a Delaware subsidiary of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.

The TRIPP Development Company will receive exclusive development and land-use rights for 49 years, with an option to extend the arrangement for another 50 years.

Under the extension mechanism, Armenia's ownership would increase to 49%, reducing the American stake to 51% without requiring additional Armenian investment.

Armenia must supply unencumbered state-owned land and cover the associated costs. The agreement also allows separate project companies to oversee individual infrastructure components.

The framework includes exemptions on dividend and capital gains taxation. American financing remains contingent on available funding.

Armenia retains the authority to grant concessions and must approve certain major corporate decisions, including ownership transfers, changes of control and transactions affecting national security.

Yerevan Insists on Sovereign Control

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who presented the legislation, emphasized that Armenia would retain jurisdiction over the corridor and its infrastructure.

Border inspections, customs administration, migration procedures, taxation and law enforcement would remain under Armenian authority.

The agreement allows licensed private operators to perform certain administrative functions through a possible front office-back office arrangement.

Security personnel employed by the operating company would require Armenian authorization. Armenian authorities would retain overriding powers during emergencies.

These provisions are intended to distinguish commercial management of the corridor from the exercise of state sovereignty.

Opposition Challenges Long-Term Terms

Opposition lawmakers argued that the arrangement would disproportionately benefit Azerbaijan and Türkiye while leaving Armenia exposed to financial and security risks.

Anna Grigoryan of the Armenia faction and representatives of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation raised concerns about the American majority stake and the potential 99-year duration of the development rights.

Critics also questioned the project's financial projections and the absence of binding reciprocal guarantees allowing Armenian transit through Azerbaijan.

The proximity of the corridor to Iran, combined with the continued absence of a signed Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty, featured in opposition objections.

The parliamentary vote followed approval by the Foreign Relations Committee on October 21, when members backed the framework by four votes to one. The full assembly debated the legislation on October 27.

Construction Could Begin in 2027

The ratification marks another stage in a process launched at the August 8, 2025 Washington meeting between Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, witnessed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Washington and Yerevan published an implementation framework on January 13, 2026.

Mirzoyan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio initialed the framework in Yerevan on May 26, alongside agreements covering strategic partnership and critical minerals cooperation.

Formal signatures followed in Washington on June 1 and Yerevan on June 4.

Armenia's government approved the ratification bill on July 16, and the Constitutional Court subsequently confirmed its compliance with the country's constitutional requirements.

The U.S. has completed its ratification procedures. Entry into force still depends on Armenia completing the remaining steps, while the development company's charter and shareholders' agreement have yet to be finalized.

Engineering assessments are reportedly underway with U.S. company AECOM. Construction could begin in late 2026, although spring 2027 is considered a more realistic starting point.

Regional Implications Remain Unresolved

For Azerbaijan, the corridor would provide a direct overland connection to Nakhchivan and onward to Türkiye.

For Armenia, it would deepen economic and strategic engagement with Washington as Pashinyan pursues closer Western ties.

The arrangement would also establish a long-term U.S.-linked commercial presence near Iran's northern border, a development that has drawn concern from Tehran and skepticism from Moscow.

Parliamentary approval advances the infrastructure framework but does not settle the broader political disputes surrounding the project, despite peace talks between the two leaders.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have yet to sign a peace treaty, while the corporate arrangements and construction timetable remain unfinished.