TRIPP 

Diya Ravi

August 8, 2025

On Friday, leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan were hosted at the White House by President Donald Trump, where a peace agreement that would grant the US exclusive development access to a transit corridor that will be named after Trump, which is critical and based in the South Caucasus, was finalized. 

Between the two nations, this deal is aimed at suppressing long-simmering tensions while creating greater economic development through opening up the region. This grants the US long-term, exclusive rights to carve a new transportation route through Armenian territory. 

On Friday, Trump said, alongside Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, “Many tried to find a resolution, but with this accord, we’ve finally succeeded in making peace.” In a concession sure to delight Trump, who has strived to brand himself in his first six months in office as a “global peacemaker”, the corridor will be called TRIPP – the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity. 

A senior administration official said the project will operate under Armenian legal jurisdiction. In turn, the US will lease the land to a consortium responsible for construction and management. Trump said of the decision to name the corridor after him, “This declaration establishes what they are calling a great honor for me – I didn’t ask for this.” 

The deal is the latest in a string of diplomatic pacts that the White House has played a role in brokering around the globe. Late last month, a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand was reached. Trump threatened to cut off trade talks with both countries if they continued to fight each other, and that's how this diplomatic pact came about. 

 Officials in the White House have prioritized the diplomatic efforts in a bid to follow through on Trump's pledge to end wars across the world. The administration has emphasized its work on smaller-scale conflicts. 

For Trump himself, there is an added motivation: Each peace deal should bring him closer to winning the Nobel Peace Prize that he has coveted for years. At the start of his first term, the president has long complained about the decision to award former President Barack Obama the prize back in 2009. In recent months, Trump has highlighted his credentials for receiving the same recognition. 

To curry favor with him, multiple foreign leaders have nominated the president for the Peace Prize. On Friday, the latest endorsers of his candidacy for the award were the Armenian prime minister and the Azerbaijani president. In addition to the peace framework between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the countries’ heads of state will endorse a formal request to disband the Minsk Group (established in 1992 and co-chaired by France, Russia, and the US, which has long been tasked with mediating the dispute between the two nations). 

According to a senior administration officer, the Trump administration identified the transportation corridor as a strategic opportunity as early as the end of February. Formal negotiations to determine which US entities will operate the transit are expected to begin next week.