TRIPP is an Investment Program in Armenia, TRIPP Does Not Exist in Azerbaijan - Prime Minister

We should perceive TRIPP as an investment program, as it was a political statement made on August 8. This was stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in an interview with Public Television. “The United States will lead this investment activity. And we, including the front office and back office, should understand, and it is indeed so, that we must provide the investor’s desire and aspiration with the highest quality and attractive services so that as many people as possible can benefit from it. Because we say 'front office, back office,' but there may not be any people at the front office at all, it could be artificial intelligence, there could be state-of-the-art equipment, and the main function of that front office could be to service that equipment, and so on,” he noted.

Pashinyan stated that many developed and developing countries see biometric passport systems at their airports: “Our goal is for citizens of the Republic of Armenia and citizens of other countries with biometric passports to simply enter and exit without stops.” He further emphasized that TRIPP is an investment program that is implemented in the Republic of Armenia, and there is no TRIPP in Azerbaijan, hence he cannot comment on what will happen in Azerbaijan.

“Overall, the border crossings and so forth in both countries will operate within the framework of national legislation, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and jurisdiction. Under conditions of reciprocity, there will be transport routes and communication access. According to the agreement, after 50 years, the percentage ratio will change, and the Republic of Armenia will hold 49 percent. Why? Because the calculation is such that whether investments are made or not, discussions are about billions of investments, and those investments need to be recouped, and there must be profit as well. Now the problem is that any investor, including in all investment programs—also in Armenia—wants to have certain guarantees that they will get that money back, with some profit, because otherwise, why would they invest? They could put it in a bank and get interest, and they would get that money back,” emphasized Nikol Pashinyan.

According to the Prime Minister, at the beginning, the operating period of TRIPP was a topic of discussion, projected to last 99 years. “We were thinking, we were saying, but 99 years—there was a certain discomfort with these numbers, also in the team, and then at some point, we noted that let’s look at this issue from a different angle. The United States is implementing an investment program in the Republic of Armenia for 99 years, at least 99 years. That is to say, the world's number one superpower is saying that the Republic of Armenia will exist as an independent, sovereign state for 99 years, it will be peaceful, and there will be a normal investment environment. I am looking and cannot find any period in our recent history where we had a 99-year perspective, a 99-year plan, and we designed that 99-year plan with the world’s number one superpower. I want us to truly appreciate this moment. And this is communicated and corresponded with the agenda of the sustainability of our statehood, which we have adopted since 2018,” the Prime Minister emphasized.