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An abandoned station, a few rusted carriages and limited stretches of railway are all that remains of former Soviet railroad in Armenia's southern region.

While appearing improbable, this derelict stretch of track in the South Caucasus has been designated to become a symbol of peace brokered by the US president, known as the Tripp initiative for Global Stability and Economic Growth.

Dispersed throughout are remains of a statue from a monument to a communist hero. A female statue has lost one limb.

"We stand upon this proposed corridor, also known as Peace Junction, the Silk Road, and the regional passageway," says a local journalist. "However currently nothing here appears Western."

Regional Conflict Resolution

This represents one of the "unendable wars" Trump claims to have successfully resolved, through a diplomatic settlement between Armenia and its long-time enemy Azerbaijan.

The proposal outlines US companies moving in under a 99-year deal to develop the 26-mile corridor through Armenia's sovereign land along its entire border with Iran, establishing a corridor linking Azerbaijan to its separated territory of Nakhchivan.

A railway, motorway and energy conduits have all been pledged and Trump has spoken of corporations investing "significant funds, that will financially advantage the three participating countries".

On the ground, the scale of the challenge is clear. This connectivity project will have to be built from scratch, but diplomatic obstacles significantly exceed financial considerations.

Geopolitical Implications

The American involvement could reshape international relations of an area that Moscow considers as its sphere of influence. Conservative factions in Iran are also worried and are threatening to halt the initiative.

The Tripp proposal is key to ending a conflict between the two neighboring nations that started over Nagorno-Karabakh, a part of Azerbaijan with historical Armenian presence.

In 2023, Azerbaijan recaptured the contested area, and nearly all Armenian population fled their homes. This didn't represent the initial displacement in this conflict: during the 1990s half a million Azerbaijani citizens became refugees.

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US mediation were enabled because of Russia's weakened position in this strategic region.

Over time, the Kremlin worked towards restoring the passage that now bears an American president's name.

Although Russia's proposal for its FSB border troops to protect the planned route was declined, Russian units continue monitoring the section of the Armenian-Iranian frontier that was selected as the Trump route.

Armenia's Syunik region represents a key hub for its exports, and businessmen and trucks from Iran commonly appear. Iranian construction companies are building recent infrastructure that will cross the future Tripp.

The Aras River that divides Iranian and Armenian territory is the very line the route is set follow.

It is unclear the manner in which American and Persian corporations will co-exist in Armenia, considering American participation in the Israel‑Iran war.

International Collaboration

There is also growing Western involvement in southern Armenia.

France has recently started selling weapons to Yerevan and established diplomatic representation in Syunik. An EU monitoring mission operates within this area, and the proposed corridor European officials view as component of an alternative route linking it with Central Asia and China and avoiding Russian territory.

Turkey is also eager to capitalize on an opening created by waning Russian influence.

Ankara is in talks with Armenia to normalise relations and has voiced support for the peace initiative, which would create a direct link from Turkey to Azerbaijan through its exclave.

Armenia's government appears calm about the various competing interests. It wants to become a "Crossroads of Peace" where all regional powers can collaborate.

"They say everything will be fine and that there will be massive European investment, modern infrastructure and trade with Iran, America, Europe, Turkey and Azerbaijan," the journalist comments while expressing skepticism.

An official settlement between the two nations has not yet been signed, but certain facts emerge: since the Washington meeting, no gunfire has been fired on their shared frontier.

The presidential involvement has brought at least temporary relief to those who for years have lived in fear of renewed fighting.