International Media Reaction to the Upcoming Trump-Pashinyan-Aliyev Meeting

Recent reports have indicated that the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Trump, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan, and Azerbaijani President Aliyev will focus on the new transit and development project dubbed the 'Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,' or TRIPP. It was highlighted that the U.S. will not deploy troops along the route. The U.S. involvement is expected to be purely commercial, with America taking responsibility for ensuring the 'safe operation of the route for all parties' through agreements with 'high-quality operators.'

Tert.am has presented international media reactions to the anticipated meeting:

Politico writes, 'The U.S. will make several gestures of goodwill toward Baku, lifting restrictions on defense cooperation without canceling the ban on direct assistance to Azerbaijan.' According to the publication, the agreement will disappoint many Armenians, as it clearly lacks specific provisions addressing the displacement of people from the historically Armenian enclave (referring to Nagorno-Karabakh) and the issue of prisoners of war.

The FT notes, 'Russia's position in the region has weakened in recent years, allowing the U.S. to assume the role of a peacemaker. Trump and his team saw an opportunity. They also opened the door, while Pashinyan and Aliyev were yearning for external involvement and leadership excluding Russia. Trump has brought the two countries closer to peace than any other figure.'

WP comments, 'The process, like many of Trump’s other peace demonstrations, may be more symbolic than substantive.'

The Guardian reports, 'The 'Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,' which is expected to connect Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan through the territory of Armenia, will ultimately include railways, oil and gas pipelines, as well as fiber-optic cable lines, facilitating the movement of goods and people.'

The article states, 'The agreement does not stipulate that the U.S. will pay for the construction of the transit corridor; private corporations will handle that.'