ArmInfo. During an August 11 press conference at the Arpi Armenia Analytical Center, expert Sergey Melkonyan presented a new think-tank report focusing on regional connectivity and the TRIPP initiative.
According to Melkonyan, the project carries greater geopolitical weight than economic impact, a conclusion supported by specific financial assessments. He noted that if only the TRIPP program is implemented, Armenia's annual benefit would be approximately $23 million, whereas comprehensive regional unblocking of the South Caucasus could increase that figure to roughly $388 million—a sixteenfold difference. By contrast, for Azerbaijan, the financial variance between TRIPP (~$230 million) and full unblocking (~$329 million) is only about 1.4 times, indicating that comprehensive unblocking is far more critical for Armenia than for Azerbaijan.
"In this case, other communications must also be opened, particularly the railway, which is not currently on the agenda. But even the Washington Agreement contains the phrase 'mutual benefit,' which means that if TRIPP is implemented, alternative roads must also be opened. However, we have not yet seen any serious steps or political decisions in this direction," said Sergey Melkonyan, expressing concern about a possible scenario in which only TRIPP is implemented, while other roads either remain closed or are opened in such a way that Azerbaijan can unilaterally close them at any time.
According to the expert, focusing solely on TRIPP could legitimize a new blockade of Armenia, while the region has infrastructure that can be used immediately, without waiting for the completion of new projects.
