Pashinyan says Trump-brokered peace opens new Caucasus era
07:55, 25/09/2026, FridayU: Update: 08:03, 25/09/2026, Friday
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told the UN General Assembly on Thursday that peace with Azerbaijan brokered by US President Donald Trump has created unprecedented stability and opened new economic opportunities for the South Caucasus region, including restored railway links.
Addressing the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Pashinyan said the peace agreement finalized on August 8, 2025, marked a turning point for the longtime adversaries. “The peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan established on Aug. 8, 2025 with the support and personal engagement of US President Donald Trump has opened up new opportunities for our region, the South Caucasus,” he said.
Pashinyan highlighted that for two and a half years, the border has remained free of violence, representing the first such extended period since Armenia gained independence. “For two and a half years now there have been no casualties or injuries as a result of cross-fire between Armenia ans Azerbaijan,” he said, describing the stability as historically significant for the region.
Trump Route project
Pashinyan detailed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a flagship initiative designed to establish transport corridors through Armenian territory connecting Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave. Under the framework agreement, the TRIPP Development Company will operate with US ownership at 74 percent and Armenian ownership at 26 percent during the initial 49-year term, with Armenia’s stake increasing to 49 percent if the arrangement extends for another half-century.
He announced that railway communication between the two countries has been restored for the first time since the Soviet era, with work underway to establish direct rail links between Azerbaijan proper and its Nakhchivan region across Armenian territory.
Shift in Russian ties
Turning to Yerevan’s relationship with Moscow, Pashinyan said bilateral ties were undergoing a fundamental transformation driven by the changed security environment. He noted that previously the relationship had been largely dictated by Armenia’s security concerns stemming from its conflict with Azerbaijan, whereas the current peace creates conditions for a different type of engagement with Russia.