Armenia has effectively begun implementing the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a joint session of the National Assembly’s standing committees discussing the draft 2027 state budget. Pashinyan said the government would initiate the procurement of design work for the railway, highway and electricity transmission lines envisaged under the project, without waiting for the establishment of the TRIPP Development Company. “The Armenian government, on its own initiative, will launch the process of commissioning the design of the railway, highway and electricity transmission lines under the TRIPP project so that we do not lose time and can start working on the project,” Pashinyan said. He added that once the TRIPP Development Company is established, the government will transfer the work already completed to the company. The prime minister said the project would help Armenia overcome a blockade that has lasted for more than 30 years. “It is absolutely clear and unequivocal that as a result of the implementation of the TRIPP project, Armenia will be unblocked in all directions — east-west and north-south,” he said. Pashinyan clarified, however, that the broader unblocking of transport and infrastructure routes would not mean that all infrastructure developed in these directions would fall under the TRIPP framework. According to him, the project will include the Nrnadzor-Karchevan railway, electricity transmission lines and a highway in the same area. Issues related to gas and oil pipelines, he added, would be discussed at a later stage.