Mirzoyan on Peace Process, 'Trump Road,' and Russia's Role

Within the framework of the Warsaw Security Forum, Minister Mirzoyan gave an interview to the Polish television channel TVP World.

Journalist: Hello and welcome to TVP World. I'm Diana Skaya, and we are at the Warsaw Security Forum. My guest today is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan. Thank you very much, Mr. Minister, for being with us today.

Ararat Mirzoyan: Thank you for the invitation.

Journalist: So, in August in Washington, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed the Declaration. What progress has been made since then?

Ararat Mirzoyan: Indeed, on August 8, the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan signed the Declaration, and this Declaration was also signed by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, as a witness. And in that Declaration, the leaders agreed on a number of very important issues. First of all, they witnessed the pre-signing of the Peace Treaty by Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Bayramov and myself.

This in itself was a very serious milestone. In addition, in this Declaration, the leaders agreed on the fundamental principles according to which the issue of communications should be regulated. I mean the unblocking and reopening of transport infrastructure between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the relaunch of transit links. And these principles are: recognition of territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, sovereignty of countries, as well as recognition of national jurisdiction over the corridors and the infrastructure to be restored and reopened.

Journalist: Is this what will be called the "Trump Road for International Peace and Prosperity"?

Ararat Mirzoyan: The idea is much broader than that. Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to unblock transport communications between each other, and here we are talking about the entire infrastructure. For example, Armenia gets access to Azerbaijan's railway system, Azerbaijan to Armenia's railway system, and later also to highways and other infrastructures.

We can use each other's infrastructures as normal neighbors do, for example, in Europe or elsewhere. The part of that infrastructure that is the shortest link between the main territory of Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic is to be operated as TRIPP, which is the "Trump Road for International Peace and Prosperity."

What is TRIPP? Armenia and the United States are going to create a consortium, a company that will be the builder and main operator of the railway corridor. This consortium, in turn, can involve a third company or companies to perform this or that work or to provide this or that service for the entire corridor. In addition, the consortium can also implement, build, and then operate pipelines, power transmission lines, and so on.

So, all agreements will be mutual. For example, we are also going to use the territory of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic to connect the north and south of Armenia by rail. Currently, no such railway connection exists.

Journalist: With the European Union monitoring mission in Armenia, we had the opportunity to visit the border. They showed us the border regions, the mountains. We saw that. But let me ask you this question, Mr. Minister, as difficult as it may be: is there an approximate timeline for when these borders, especially the border with Turkey, will be opened for free transit, travel, and so on? And is it already known when this railway line will practically begin? Because I remember that the US Ambassador to Armenia also mentioned that the US has provided 145 million for various projects. So, when can we see a timeline?

Ararat Mirzoyan: Look, as I already said, we have agreed on the fundamental principles. Now we, together with a delegation or a group from the United States, need to agree on the technical solutions, the technical details of the corridor and the company that I just mentioned. We have already started discussions with our American partners. I think in the coming months we can complete this process, and after that, construction must begin.

If we talk about the railway connection, experts say that its construction could take, for example, at least two years. But we are very interested in building, opening, and restarting the connections between Armenia and Azerbaijan as soon as possible, because, as I said, we are one of the main beneficiaries. We can also, for example, send or receive goods using the infrastructure and territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. But this is on the communications part.

There is also the part of the Peace Treaty, which was pre-signed by the Azerbaijani Minister and myself. So, we are ready: the text was finalized earlier, in March of this year, now it is pre-signed, and we are ready to sign that treaty as soon as possible. The Azerbaijani side is putting forward certain preconditions; we do not share that agenda. However, even before the final signing ceremony of the Peace Treaty, there are processes that are already underway or can take place before the signing. For example, we have discussed the possibility of being more tolerant towards each other, or even more, the prospects of cooperation on international platforms.

Journalist: After decades of conflict.

Ararat Mirzoyan: After decades of conflict. You can imagine what a heavy burden has accumulated on various platforms, in documents, conventions, where we have had reservations, special opinions, and so on.

We have jointly appealed to the OSCE structures, asking to close the Minsk Group structures. This is a step that has already been taken.

There is also the process of delimitation of the state border. It started a long time ago. We have already delimited 12 kilometers of the border. For example, when visiting an Armenian village in that border section, one can see that it is really developing: a new school has been built, people feel more secure, there are no security concerns among the population, the villagers. So, there are processes that are already underway, and there are also steps that are still ahead.

Journalist: What about the challenges?

Ararat Mirzoyan: The decades-long conflict has also accumulated a heavy psychological burden. There is a history and memory of blood on both sides. I think that among the societies, probably on both sides, there is still caution. The reconciliation process will take time. Peace, as I have already mentioned, has been established, but it requires constant care and daily effort from both sides. In this context, I must mention that aggressive rhetoric from any side does not contribute to the process in any way.

Journalist: Speaking of aggressive rhetoric, let me ask: what role does Russia continue to play today? I think this is an important question, isn't it? We see that Russia's role in the South Caucasus is gradually weakening. But does it continue to play any role in Armenia's security? Or does it no longer have the same significance it had, for example, 15 years ago

Ararat Mirzoyan: You know, in connection with the establishment of peace and the Washington Declaration, at the official level, we heard welcoming statements from high-ranking Russian officials. At the same official level, we also saw the readiness expressed by high-ranking Russian representatives to support this connectivity project and to show some participation. However, of course, I cannot fail to mention that almost every day we witness harsh criticism from Russian media, sometimes state media, as well as members of parliament, experts, and politicians, directed at the Armenian government and our country's current foreign policy.

Journalist: Why? Isn't it good to see how Armenia is developing with the West and getting closer to Europe?

Ararat Mirzoyan: Perhaps it would be correct to direct that question to your Russian guests, if there are any. But without going deep into the reasons, which can be both simple and quite complex, in any case, I am confident that both our Russian partners and any other country or international actor must respect the will of the Armenian people. Democratic elections are held regularly in Armenia, political forces present their programs and views on the most important issues, and the final decision is made by the citizens of Armenia. Our political force, led by our Prime Minister, received the trust of the majority of voters in the 2021 snap parliamentary elections, which were held in the conditions of a serious internal political crisis in the country. This year, a number of sociological surveys have also been conducted, and in June 2026, parliamentary elections will be held again. You will see.

Journalist: We at TVP World hope to have another opportunity to visit Yerevan to cover the upcoming parliamentary elections. Thank you, Mr. Mirzoyan, for being with us on TVP World during the Warsaw Security Forum. I'm Diana Skaya. Thank you for joining and watching us. This was our interview with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan.