Armenia’s National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations approved the ratification bill for the framework agreement with the United States on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) on 21 October, with four votes in favour and one against. Presenting the agreement, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan it as “a new level of economic cooperation between Armenia and the United States, one that has never existed before.” Mirzoyan stated that the project would expand Armenia’s access to international transport routes and markets while contributing to regional peace. Mirzoyan further noted that the road must be regionally competitive to make transit economically viable. The bill is expected to be considered by parliament in a plenary session on 27 October.

According to Mirzoyan, the American shareholder without Armenia’s consent. Mirzoyan stressed that Armenia would retain sovereignty and jurisdiction over the infrastructure, including border security, customs, migration, law enforcement, and taxation. Under the proposed “front office-back office” model, private operators could provide passenger and cargo services requiring direct interaction with users, while Armenian state officials would retain decisions on border and customs controls. Mirzoyan that certain goods, including weapons and ammunition, would be prohibited from transit under TRIPP. During on 22 October, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan also said the railway route had been determined, but road design and power transmission arrangements still required work.

Technical and economic feasibility studies are underway, and as Mirzoyan maintained, lengthy and complex preparatory work could begin before the development company is established, with Armenia’s expenditure subsequently counted as its investment. Armenian foreign minister added that it still needed to be clarified whether Armenian citizens travelling through Azerbaijani territory would receive procedures equivalent to those envisaged under TRIPP in Armenia. Mirzoyan also indicated that the Armenia-US agreement could not impose obligations on Azerbaijan, which is not a signatory. Mirzoyan emphasized that he could not envisage a situation in which a railway operated between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan through Armenia while Armenia could not use its own routes. Additionally, Mirzoyan that Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) did not currently prevent implementation of TRIPP.

Relatedly, on 22 October, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that a peace agreement with Azerbaijan could be signed in 2027 or 2028, although Foreign Minister Mirzoyan reiterated that prompt signing remained a government commitment. Mirzoyan that Azerbaijani officials sometimes used language that did not contribute to peace, but argued that mutual benefit was essential to maintaining it. He that some unnamed “partners” wanted Armenia to be “weak” and resemble a “sham” state. Mirzoyan also on 21 October that Azerbaijan was presenting constitutional change as a precondition, yet the two countries were not negotiating the issue directly. According to Pashinyan, the draft of a new Constitution would be published by the end of 2026 for public discussion. Its principal proposed change is to remove the reference to the Declaration of Independence. Adoption requires at least 70 votes in the 107-seat National Assembly, while Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party holds 64 seats. The opposition factions have previously declared that they oppose changing the Constitution at Azerbaijan’s request.

On 22 October, Pashinyan signaled that the government would first try to persuade opposition lawmakers to support the process but would if it failed to secure sufficient backing. Armenian Prime Minister stressed that constitutional reform is a matter of Armenia’s domestic political agenda and is not being negotiated with Azerbaijan, despite Baku’s repeated statements that it will not sign a peace treaty until Armenia amends its Constitution. As Pashinyan claimed, Azerbaijan considers that the issue falls within Armenia’s internal affairs and that no country has the right to interfere in another’s domestic matters, while clarifying that Baku was simply communicating its political position in the context of peace negotiations. The prime minister insisted that the distinction was fundamental and noted that adopting a new Constitution was already included in both the ruling party’s election platform and the government’s programme. Pashinyan claimed that Azerbaijan’s position should not deter Armenia from pursuing constitutional reform, adding that the country should move forward with the process. Meanwhile, Pashinyan highlighted that Armenia was continuing discussions with Türkiye and Azerbaijan on opening the Armenia-Türkiye land border, which Ankara closed in 1993. Mirzoyan followed up on his remarks, saying Armenia would not base its policy on possible differences between Ankara and Baku, that direct trade arrangements with Türkiye had already advanced.

The reported crossing of an Azerbaijani shepherd into Armenia also prompted debate over the peace process. Armenia’s National Security Service on 22 October that Yashar Kasimov, a 58-year-old Azerbaijani citizen from the Tovuz district, had been found in Tavush Province on 19 October after entering Armenia by mistake. Pashinyan noted that Armenia would return him to Azerbaijan. Mirzoyan had earlier portraying a shepherd who may have lost his way as a national security threat, arguing that such incidents should be handled through cooperation and established procedures.