SYUNIK, Armenia – Chargé d’Affaires David Allen, State Department Senior Advisor for Policy Planning Staff Dr. Jon Askonas, other U.S. officials, and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic Armenia traveled to Syunik to engage with local communities on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) and its potential to strengthen connectivity and create new economic opportunities for Armenia and the region.
During the visit, the delegation and representatives of the AECOM engineering firm participated in town halls in Goris, Meghri, and Kapan. The town halls brought together representatives of national and local government, civil society and professional organizations, local communities, the business sector , and international development partners. Participants heard directly from U.S. and Armenian officials, learned about ongoing technical work related to TRIPP, and asked questions and shared their perspectives on the project.
Chargé Allen underscored that TRIPP is moving from vision to implementation, with technical engineering surveys for the rail connection already underway in Armenia. He emphasized the United States’ unwavering support for Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and highlighted TRIPP’s potential to create jobs, attract investment, enhance connectivity, and bring tangible economic benefits to communities across Armenia, particularly in Syunik.
Read also
During their time in Syunik, the officials also met with Syunik Governor, Robert Ghukasyan, and visited the TRIPP implementation site. At the American Corner in Kapan, the U.S. side reaffirmed the U.S. Embassy’s partnership with the Syunik Regional Library with a Memorandum of Understanding. These engagements provided additional opportunities to hear from regional officials and local communities and to discuss Syunik’s role in expanding regional connectivity.
TRIPP is a multimodal transit route that will modernize rail, road, energy, and digital infrastructure and strengthen Armenia’s connections to regional and international markets from Central Asia to Europe. The United States and Armenia have published the framework for TRIPP’s implementation and agreed to establish the TRIPP Development Company as a joint Armenian-American venture aimed at supporting trade, transportation, and economic development, while strengthening international, intergovernmental, and domestic transport connectivity, and engineering surveys for the railway are already underway.
Armenia and the United States, in pursuit of the commitments reached at the August 8, 2025 White House Peace Summit, continue their joint efforts toward a stable, peaceful, and prosperous future in the South Caucasus.
US Embassy in Armenia