During U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Yerevan, Armenia and the United States signed a Strategic Partnership Charter, a memorandum on critical minerals, and a framework agreement related to the TRIPP project.
According to the U.S. State Department, these documents deepen Armenian-American relations and expand the agreements reached during the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace summit initiated by President Donald Trump on August 8, 2025.
However, assessments of regional developments remain far from unanimous.
TRIPP Is Viewed as a Political Instrument
Political analyst Vardan Petrosyan believes that the TRIPP project is in reality a “major political bluff” and will never be implemented.
According to him, the central idea of the proposed corridor is to accelerate trade flows between China and Europe. However, he argues that a major contradiction immediately emerges: if China is currently America’s main strategic and economic rival, why would Washington create a route that strengthens Beijing’s economic capabilities toward Europe.
In Petrosyan’s assessment, TRIPP is not truly an economic project but rather a political instrument.
Washington Is Trying to “Package” Its Initiatives
Petrosyan believes the United States already understands that its involvement in the South Caucasus will gradually decline. Because of this, Washington is attempting to transform its regional initiatives into political assets before reducing its regional presence.
According to the political analyst, the United States is effectively trying to “sell” this corridor project within the framework of future geopolitical arrangements.
He argues that the likely “buyers” of such a package are Russia, Iran, and China.
Rubio’s Visit May Be One of the Last
Commenting directly on Rubio’s visit, Petrosyan described it as “one of the last visits” to the region.
In his opinion, regardless of the outcome of the upcoming elections, the West is already preparing for a new phase of regional realignment and redistribution of influence.
U.S. Global Dominance Is Weakening
The political analyst also claims that the global political system is undergoing serious changes and that the United States is gradually losing its former dominant position.
According to his assessment, China’s growing influence has become especially visible against this backdrop, signaling the emergence of a new world order in which Washington’s influence is no longer unquestionable.