Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan separately met with U.S. Congressman Abraham Hamadeh in Yerevan on August 18, with the discussions covering the Armenia-US strategic partnership, the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process, regional developments, and implementation of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP).

Pashinyan emphasized the recent momentum in Armenia-US relations and the need to continue advancing cooperation in political, economic, and technological fields. Hamadeh, a Republican representing Arizona’s 8th Congressional District and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, stressed the importance of parliamentary dialogue and highlighted Pashinyan’s role in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process.

In addition, Armenia’s Ambassador to the United States Narek Mkrtchyan noted that TRIPP could eventually include infrastructure beyond roads and railways. In an interview with The Heritage Foundation, he noted that the project could incorporate fiber-optic cables, electricity transmission lines, and potentially pipelines. “It is not only about road and rail,” Mkrtchyan stated, describing TRIPP as part of Armenia’s broader Crossroads of Peace initiative, which seeks to reopen regional transport links while maintaining the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the countries through which they pass.

According to Mkrtchyan, the planned route through southern Armenia would stretch for about 42 kilometres near the Iranian border and could help establish supply chains connecting Europe with the South Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East. He stressed that TRIPP would operate under Armenian sovereignty and noted that greater connectivity could also create opportunities for Iran, Türkiye, Georgia and Russia.

Mkrtchyan also referred to practical economic interactions that have developed between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the past year, including Armenian purchases of Azerbaijani fuel and the transit of goods from Russia and Kazakhstan through Azerbaijani territory to Armenia. Taken together, he argued that such activity demonstrates that economic cooperation can develop before the formal establishment of diplomatic relations or the signing of a final peace treaty.