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An abandoned station, a few rusted carriages and a dozen metres of track constitute the only remnants of a Soviet railway in southern Armenia.

While appearing improbable, this neglected section of railway in the Caucasus region has been designated to become a symbol of diplomatic peace by America's leader, known as the Tripp initiative for International Peace and Prosperity.

Dispersed throughout are fragments of a head from a monument to a communist hero. A female statue is missing an arm.

"We are on this proposed corridor, alternatively called Peace Junction, the Silk Road, and the regional passageway," notes Marut Vanyan. "However currently none of this appears Western."

Regional Conflict Resolution

This represents one of the "unendable wars" the US president asserts to have brought to an end, through an agreement between the Armenian government and its long-time enemy Azerbaijan.

The plan envisages American corporations establishing presence under a 99-year deal to construct the 26-mile corridor through Armenia's sovereign land along its entire border with Iran, establishing a passageway linking Azerbaijan to its separated territory of Nakhchivan.

A railway, highway and pipelines are all promised and the president has mentioned of companies spending "a lot of money, which will economically benefit the three participating countries".

On the ground, the magnitude of the undertaking is clear. This connectivity project must be constructed completely new, but diplomatic obstacles far outweigh financial considerations.

International Consequences

Trump's intervention could reshape the geopolitics of an area that Moscow considers as its regional domain. Conservative factions in Iran are also worried and are threatening to block the project.

This peace initiative plays a crucial role in resolving a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan that started over Nagorno-Karabakh, a part of Azerbaijan historically populated by.

During 2023, Azerbaijani forces regained the disputed region, and nearly all Armenian population fled their homes. This was not the first such expulsion in these hostilities: during the 1990s over 500,000 Azerbaijanis were displaced.

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American diplomatic efforts became possible because of Moscow's diminished influence in the South Caucasus.

For years, Russian authorities attempted towards re-opening the route that currently carries an American president's name.

Although Russia's proposal for Russian security forces to guard the future road was declined, they still patrol the stretch of the Armenia‑Iran border that was selected as the Trump route.

Armenia's Syunik region represents an important center for international trade, and businessmen and trucks from Iran are a familiar sight. Iranian construction companies are building a new bridge that will intersect the future Tripp.

This border waterway that separates the Islamic Republic and Armenia is the very line the route is set follow.

Remains uncertain how the US and Iranian companies will co-exist in Armenia, considering American participation in Middle Eastern conflicts.

International Collaboration

Additionally exists increased European presence in southern Armenia.

France has recently started selling weapons to Armenian leadership and has opened diplomatic representation in Syunik. European Union observers operates within this area, and the future Trump route is seen by the EU as component of an alternative route connecting Europe to Central Asia and China and avoiding Russian territory.

Ankara shows interest to benefit from opportunities arising from diminished Moscow presence.

Turkish officials negotiate with Yerevan to establish diplomatic ties and expressed endorsement for the peace initiative, which would create immediate connectivity from Turkish territory to Azerbaijan through its exclave.

Armenia's government shows composure about the various competing interests. It wants to become a "International Peace Junction" where all regional powers can collaborate.

"Officials claim conditions will improve and that we can expect massive European investment, modern infrastructure and commercial relations involving Iran, America, Europe, Turkey and Azerbaijan," the journalist comments while expressing skepticism.

A formal peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia remains unsigned, but certain facts emerge: since the Washington meeting, not a single shot has occurred on their shared frontier.

Trump's intervention has brought some immediate respite to residents who long experienced anxiety of renewed fighting.