Zaur Bilal oglu Aliyev
Doctor of Philosophy in Political Sciences, Associate Professor,
ANAS Institute of Philosophy and Sociology,
Azerbaijan University
Rauf Hasanzade
Liceul International Maarif Schools of Bucharest, Romania

SUMMARY:

The TRIPP project — Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity — which has recently become the subject of serious discussions at various levels, marks the beginning of a transformation process in Eurasian logistics for the participating countries and signifies a substantial elevation of the roles of the main players along the New Silk Road. The second part of the project is the Kars–Dilucu railway, which is expected to join the Trump Route from the West and ensure its operation in the Anatolian direction. The construction of this railway has already been officially launched by the Turkish government.

It is clear that this megaproject will not only contribute to the geopolitical architecture of the Eurasian region but will also serve the purpose of ensuring peace and stability. However, debates persist regarding the geo-economic and geopolitical risks that the project may face during its implementation. For this reason, political commentators and economic and political experts—both from the countries of the region and from several key global actors—regularly engage in media discussions on this topic.

KEYWORDS: Zangezur, Azerbaijan, Armenia, regional, Russia, USA, cooperation, energy corridor

INTRODUCTION:

The Zangezur corridor, in general, has the potential to produce various political and economic impacts on the countries of the region in different ways. For Azerbaijan, these political and economic effects of the corridor can be grouped as follows:

• Direct land access with Nakhchivan will be fully ensured;

• Air travel for communication with Nakhchivan previously cost the state budget millions of dollars. The opening of a land route will reduce transportation and communication expenses by millions of dollars;

• Nakhchivan’s economic potential can be utilised more efficiently as a border region;

• Azerbaijan will achieve diversification of its international transport and communication routes, which will enhance the country’s ability to take precautionary measures against possible threats and risks;

• Trade relations with Türkiye will develop further;

• Azerbaijani products will have fully ensured access to East–West markets.

DEVELOPMENT

Observations show that even the indicators of the regional countries alone reflect the importance of the Zangezur corridor. Even without considering the trade turnover between distant countries, the economic potential and level of development of the states in the region provide sufficient grounds to assert that the Zangezur corridor will be significant. In other words, Zangezur will transform not only into a geographical concept but also into a factor of economic power. The region includes dynamically developing Turkic-speaking states with a combined GDP of over 1.0 trillion USD. The potential of these countries will ensure intensive use of the corridor. Türkiye, with a GDP of 761.5 billion USD; Kazakhstan, with 182.0 billion USD; Uzbekistan, with 58.0 billion USD; Azerbaijan, with 48.0 billion USD; Turkmenistan, with 48.0 billion USD; and Kyrgyzstan, with 8.5 billion USD, are all countries demonstrating dynamic progress. (1, p.1)

The territory of Azerbaijan has become the centre of the region’s transportation hubs for international projects. From this point of view, the Zangezur corridor can become a strategic transport corridor that connects Azerbaijan with the region, Asia, and Europe in several directions. In fact, major world powers acknowledge and express support for this function of the Zangezur corridor. It is no coincidence that during the meeting between the Presidents of the United States and Russia, the necessity of opening communication lines in the South Caucasus was emphasised. The President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has also discussed this issue with the Presidents of Russia and the United States and reached an understanding. (2, p.1)

In addition to Azerbaijan, Armenia, Türkiye, Russia, and Iran, this corridor can also bring significant benefits to the countries of the Asia–Pacific region. Of course, China has more to gain here. As an important point along the China–Russia–Iran–Azerbaijan axis, the Zangezur corridor represents a new opportunity for Beijing to reach Europe, the Gulf countries, and Africa through Türkiye. This route is shorter and cheaper than the alternatives.

The Zangezur corridor may become a new transport project for Eurasia. Iraq has already stated that it could become a participant in the Zangezur corridor project. It is not excluded that Iraq will also join the Zangezur route, which is expected to connect East and West.

As mentioned, one of the key aspects that gives the Zangezur corridor special importance is the organization of economic relations in a cheap, safe, and fast way. Experts who approach the issue from different perspectives also refer to the corridor as the “Northern Route,” “Middle Route,” and “Southern Route.” In other words, by classifying the corridor according to various directions, they arrive at these terms. For example, according to experts, the “Northern Route” extends to Europe by passing through the territory of Russia and providing transportation to European markets. The “Middle Route” refers to the route covering Central Asia–Azerbaijan–Georgia–Türkiye. Meanwhile, the “Southern Route” is the direction that passes through the countries of South Asia and includes Iran. What is most interesting and significant is that the common intersection point of all three directions – each viewed differently by experts – is Azerbaijan. In other words, in all three directions, the routes intersect in the South Caucasus on the territory of Azerbaijan. This opportunity is formed by the North–South, East–West, and South–West transport projects in which the Republic of Azerbaijan is an active participant. Thus, the roads from Russia via the North–South corridor and from Central Asia through the East–West corridor intersect in Azerbaijan, while the Southern Route also passes through the territory of Azerbaijan via the South–West corridor. (3, pp. 62–69)

During his state visit to Kazakhstan on October 20–21, 2025, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, said that the Zangezur corridor project also offers enormous potential. In Azerbaijan, all road and railway connections will be completed by mid-next year. We do hope that progress in other countries will be just as rapid, and in that case, the opening of the Zangezur corridor could take place by the end of 2028. (4, p.1)

On November 14, 2025, at the conference titled “Crossroads of the World: Development of Regional Communication and Cooperation,” the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, stated that construction of the section of the “Trump Route” (the 42-kilometre section of the Zangezur corridor passing through Armenian territory) will begin in the second half of 2026. (5, p.1)

The Zangezur corridor will consist of two segments: a highway and a railway. The implementation of projects for both the highway and railway segments of the new corridor is continuing intensively in our country. During President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to the Fuzuli, Zangilan, Lachin, and Jabrayil districts on February 14, 2021, the foundation was laid for the Horadiz–Aghband railway line, an important component of the Zangezur corridor. (6, p.1)

This 100-kilometre railway line is a very important infrastructure that will ensure the functionality of the Zangezur corridor. The construction of the railway line is being carried out in three stages. In the first stage, 30 km, including Horadiz, Marjanli, Mahmudlu stations, are planned, in the second stage, 55 km, including Soltanli, Gumlag stations, and in the third stage, 25.4 km of road is planned to be laid, covering Minjivan, Bartaz and Agband stations. The project plans 8 stations, 3 tunnels, 41 bridges, 3 galleries, 4 overpasses, and nearly 300 artificial engineering structures. Significant progress has already been made in the implementation of the Horadiz–Aghband railway line project, an important segment of the Zangezur corridor. Some parts of the transport connection have even been put into operation. Freight trains are already running on the sections currently in service, transporting goods to the liberated territories. At the same time, work has also started on the highway component of the Zangezur corridor. Thus, on October 26, 2022, the foundation Horadiz–Jabrayil–Zangilan–Aghband highway was laid. The distance from the starting point of the road to Aghband, the Armenian border, is 123.6 kilometres. With this, the next stage in the creation of the Zangezur corridor has begun.

The line ending in Velidag will be extended by 14 kilometres to the border with Armenia. If Armenia decides to contribute to regional peace and participates in these transport projects, it will be able to connect its railway line from Baku to Horadiz and from Horadiz to north of Nakhchivan. (7, p.1)

Thus, Armenia would have uninterrupted transport access to Russia and Iran. In parallel with the railway line, highways along these routes are also being put into operation. The construction project of the Ahmadbeyli–Horadiz–Minjivan–Aghband highway, which extends to Zangezur, has begun in Azerbaijan and is progressing rapidly.

Azerbaijan has access both via Georgia and, in the future, through the Zangezur transport corridor to the Türkiye–Europe route. Already, the world’s great powers and major states recognise the importance of the Zangezur corridor and support the implementation of the project.

The Zangezur corridor, which is effective for access to the global space, especially to Europe, and promises intensive transport connections, will create larger-scale opportunities primarily for the countries of the region.

Our research and analyses show that the activation of the Zangezur corridor on a regional and global scale will give rise to serious geopolitical and geoeconomic innovations in the region. In addition, the corridor will allow Azerbaijan to strengthen its position as a transport and logistics centre of Eurasia and strengthen its international status as an independent state.

The geopolitical assessment of the Zangezur corridor also has historical and political significance. It is no coincidence that in the statements of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and in his interviews with transnational media, along with the economic and strategic importance of the Zangezur corridor, the historical and political motives of the territorial issues are also emphasised.

The realization of the Zangezur transport corridor, where regional, economic, and geopolitical interests intersect and clash, is a requirement of the time. In Azerbaijan, roads leading to Zangezur are being rapidly repaired and new roads are being built. It is possible that the corridor may be implemented in the near future. At this stage, Armenia must correctly assess the reality and comply with the terms of the Trilateral Declaration, and support the restoration of peace and security, economic development, and progress in the region.

“Despite not having access to the open sea, we have transformed Azerbaijan, located at the junction of East and West, North and South, into an important transport hub. Building on the advantages of its geographic location, the entire transport chain has been diversified into a network: a seaport, railway connections, several international airports, and highways,” (8, p.1.) said President Ilham Aliyev during his speech at the Azerbaijan–Lithuania Business Forum. Many countries are presenting numerous new proposals for using Azerbaijan’s transport infrastructure. As the Head of State noted, today the Republic is a transit hub for the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Caspian region as a whole.

CONCLUSION
The Zangezur corridor has many regional advantages in the legal sphere. This is a great opportunity for countries in both the Caucasus and Asia. The corridor plays a role not only in the political aspect but can also be discussed as a solution to legal and economic issues.

The regional prospects of the Zangezur corridor are as follows:

• The expansion of international transport relations is becoming increasingly relevant.

• Providing a foundation for regional integration relations;

• Bringing new dividends and investments to the region;

• Creating new geostrategic positions;

• Offering opportunities for multi-vector cooperation in the region;

• Expanding sovereign collaboration in a new aspect.

The corridor will allow for the expansion of the railway network between Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Russia, Armenia, and Iran and will open many trade routes connecting the Asia-Pacific region to Türkiye via Central Asia, the Caspian region, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. This will further strengthen the “East–West” corridor, the “North–South” International Transport Corridor, and the Caspian Transport Network. It will also facilitate the operation of oil and gas pipeline systems from the Caspian to Europe. The opening of the corridor will increase the transit opportunities of the region, which plays an important role in the energy supply lines of the European Union, the United States, Russia, and China.

Sources

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