Armenia, Azerbaijan to merge power grids under Trump Route project - Pashinyan

YEREVAN. Jan 21 (Interfax) - Armenia and Azerbaijan will integrate their power grids under the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

"Certainly, Armenia and Azerbaijan's power grids will be connected to each other and mutually, on equal terms, will take advantage of opportunities for electricity exports and imports," Pashinyan said while taking questions from parliamentarians on Wednesday.

As reported, Armenia and the United States have agreed on setting up a joint venture for the development of transport routes in Armenia under the TRIPP project.

TRIPP Development will be responsible for development and provide infrastructure for TRIPP while being controlled by the United States. The project roadmap, published by the U.S. State Department, says that Armenia intends to offer the United States a 74% stake in the company and to keep 26%.

In the future, Armenia's share might increase to 49%.

The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) will connect Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan through the Armenian territory by a 42-kilometer road in south Armenia.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, U.S. President Donald Trump and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a declaration in Washington on August 8 to ensure Yerevan's cooperation with Washington and certain third parties on the framework of the TRIPP connectivity project on the Armenian territory. The project envisages construction of road, railway and oil-and-gas infrastructure.

Pashinyan said earlier that the U.S. invested $140 million as a preparatory stage for the TRIPP project.