BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 15. A meeting between
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and U.S. Secretary of
State Marco Rubio shows regional leadership prospects for
Azerbaijan, the political analyst Azer Garayev told Trend.
He noted that the ongoing normalization processes in the South
Caucasus can be assessed as a positive step in terms of
international support.
"The discussions held in Washington show that the U.S. is
interested in ensuring long-term stability in the region and
considers the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agenda to be one of the main
priorities in this process.
In particular, the emphasis on the importance of building the
peace process between Baku and Yerevan on institutional foundations
coincides with the principled position put forward by Azerbaijan.
Baku has repeatedly stated that peace agreements should be based on
specific legal mechanisms, mutual recognition, and the principles
of international law. In this regard, the opinions expressed in
Washington indicate that Azerbaijan's contributions to the
establishment of sustainable peace in the region are also taken
into account at the international level," he said.
The analyst recalled that at the same time, the ratification of
the framework agreement on the TRIPP (Trump Route for International
Peace and Prosperity) project raises the prospects for expanding
economic and transport ties in the region.
"The success of such initiatives depends primarily on
Azerbaijan's participation and leading role in regional
cooperation. Azerbaijan has already turned the South Caucasus into
an important transport and energy hub with its own initiatives, and
this reality creates a solid foundation for new international
projects," he explained.
Garayev pointed out that, in general, the Mirzoyan-Rubio meeting
shows that the peace and prosperity agenda is taking on a more
realistic content against the backdrop of the constructive position
of regional actors, especially Azerbaijan.
"The continuation of the processes in a positive direction will
serve both the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and
the strengthening of stability and cooperation in the South
Caucasus," the analyst added.
On January 14, Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published
the agreement signed between Armenia and the United States on
implementing the TRIPP project. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat
Mirzoyan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Washington,
where they presented a framework program for the execution of the
TRIPP project. The published document was hailed as a significant
step toward fulfilling commitments made at the White House on
August 8, 2025, to support the establishment of sustainable peace
in the South Caucasus.
In their joint statement, Mirzoyan and Rubio emphasized
Armenia’s intention to approve and support the creation of the
TRIPP Development Company, which will be tasked with overseeing the
development of the TRIPP project. The company will be granted the
right to implement the project for an initial term of 49 years.
Under the terms, Yerevan plans to offer Washington a 74% stake in
the TRIPP Development Company while retaining 26%.
On August 8, 2025, in Washington, President of the Republic of
Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Armenian
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint declaration.
During the meeting, Foreign Minister of the Republic of
Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov and Foreign Minister of the Republic of
Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan initialed the draft “Agreement on the
Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between the
Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia.”
