Kazakhstan expressed support for the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) and the Armenian Crossroads of Peace initiative during Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to the capital Astana.
“We also confirm our interest in participating in the TRIPP project. It is in the interests of both countries to connect these strategic corridors with the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) and the North-South Corridor,” Tokayev said.
For Kazakhstan, this route, also known as the Zangezur Corridor by Azerbaijan and Türkiye, is a means of diversifying its transport routes.
“The Zangezur Corridor is primarily aimed at diversification,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zumangarin said during the visit.
“Until now, they had to go through Azerbaijan to reach the Black Sea ports of Georgia, but this route will allow them to reach Nakhchevan and from there directly to Turkey. There is also a route through Iran, but it is less used.”
During the meeting with the Kazakhstani side, Mr. Pashinyan thanked Kazakhstan for hosting the Armenian-Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Almaty and for contributing to laying the foundations for a peace agreement on August 8, 2025.
“These negotiations were very important for further development. It is also a known fact that the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan is based on the Almaty Declaration,” Pashinyan said.
He noted that as a result of the Washington Declaration, Armenia is currently focused on advancing the Trump Route project and is in active negotiations with the United States to clarify and finalize the legal framework and regulations.
“This is certainly a very solid foundation for a lasting, stable and reliable peace, and we should rightly strive to sign and ratify a peace agreement in the near future,” he said.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the benefits that TRIPP will bring to Kazakhstan and Armenia’s bilateral trade and the expansion of export opportunities “to the east in the case of Armenia and to the west in the case of Kazakhstan.”
The two leaders also celebrated the first shipment of 1,000 tons of grain from Kazakhstan to Armenia.
The joint statement signed by the two countries elevated their relationship to the level of a strategic partnership.
The official delegation signed 15 agreements and memoranda of understanding, as well as discussing the resumption of air connectivity between the two countries and the possibility of establishing a Kazakh-Armenian Business Council.
Trade, transport, investment cooperation, subsoil utilization, agriculture, digitalisation, AI, healthcare, and cultural and humanitarian relations were also part of the agenda.
Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Agreement
On August 8, 2025, with the mediation of US President Donald Trump, Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a joint declaration to conclude a peace agreement aimed at ending the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Although an important step, the agreement requires ratification and changes in Armenia’s parliament.
Another key element of the agreement includes the construction of the transport link TRIPP, which connects mainland Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan enclave, which is separated by 44 kilometers of Armenian territory.
The line will remain under Armenian sovereignty and operate under Armenian law, but the United States will receive exclusive development rights for 99 years.
Beyond its immediate purpose, this project will enable the movement of people and goods from Europe to Azerbaijan and the wider Central Asia region without having to go through Russia or Iran.
Both Iran and Russia criticized the US role in the proposed TRIPP initiative. Iran is unhappy about the severing of ties with Armenia, and Russia could lose influence in the South Caucasus.
The US involvement is also aimed at preventing the Azerbaijani-Turkish coalition from seizing the border and separating Armenia from Iran.