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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 southern Armenia.

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

Dispersed throughout are remains of a statue from a monument to a Soviet-era figure. A female statue is missing an arm.

"We are on the Trump route, also known as Crossroads of Peace, the Silk Road, and the regional passageway," notes Marut Vanyan. "But so far nothing here looks American."

Peace Negotiations

This constitutes a longstanding conflict the US president asserts to have successfully resolved, through a diplomatic settlement between the Armenian government and its historical rival 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, creating a passageway linking Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan.

A railway, highway and pipelines have all been pledged 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 becomes apparent. This connectivity project will have to be built from scratch, but diplomatic obstacles significantly exceed economic issues.

Geopolitical Implications

Trump's intervention might transform the geopolitics of an area that Russia claims as its regional domain. Conservative factions in Iran are also worried and are threatening to halt the initiative.

This peace initiative is key to ending a conflict between the two neighboring nations that originated from Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijani territory historically populated by.

In 2023, Azerbaijan recaptured the disputed region, and virtually the entire Armenian population fled their homes. This didn't represent the first such expulsion in these hostilities: during the 1990s over 500,000 Azerbaijanis were displaced.

Global Participants

US mediation were enabled because of Russia's weakened position in the South Caucasus.

Over time, Russian authorities attempted towards re-opening the route that now bears an American president's name.

Although Russia's proposal for Russian security forces to guard the future road was declined, they still patrol the section of the Armenian-Iranian frontier that has been chosen for the Trump route.

The southern Armenian province represents a key hub for its exports, and commercial vehicles and traders from Iran are a familiar sight. Persian engineering firms are constructing recent infrastructure that will intersect the planned corridor.

This border waterway that divides Iranian and Armenian territory represents the exact path the route is set follow.

Remains uncertain how the US and Iranian companies can operate together in Armenia, given recent US involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts.

Regional Cooperation Prospects

There is also growing Western involvement in southern Armenia.

France has recently started military equipment transfers to Yerevan and has opened diplomatic representation in Syunik. An EU monitoring mission is deployed to this area, and the future Trump route European officials view as part of a "middle corridor" connecting Europe to Asian markets and avoiding Russian territory.

Ankara shows interest to capitalize on an opening created by diminished Moscow presence.

Ankara is in talks with Armenia to normalise relations and has voiced support for the peace initiative, which would establish immediate connectivity from Turkish territory to Azerbaijan through the separated region.

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

"Officials claim everything will be fine and that we can expect billions of euros, new roads and commercial relations involving Iran, America, Europe, Turkey and Azerbaijan," the journalist comments with an incredulous smile.

A formal peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia remains unsigned, but one thing is clear: since the Washington meeting, no gunfire has occurred on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

The presidential involvement has brought some immediate respite to residents who long have lived in fear of renewed fighting.