“Trump Bridge”: Armenia to provide Americans with strategic Zangezur corridor for 99 years
Azerbaijan, July 23, 2025 – Armenian authorities have given preliminary approval to transfer the Zangezur corridor to the management of an American company. The 42-kilometer corridor, which will connect Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan, Turkey and Central Asia, is already called the “Trump Bridge”. It is assumed that 40% of the company’s revenues will go to the American company, 30% to Armenia, the rest will be invested in the development of transport infrastructure.
According to Forbes analysts, the implementation of the project by 2027 could bring the region a profit of up to $ 50-100 billion. In addition, it could reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy supplies by 10-15%. The security of the route will be ensured by the forces of an American private military company, which quite rightly raises concerns in Yerevan about the complete loss of control over part of its territory. Formally, Armenia retains sovereignty over Syunik, but in practice, the administration of part of the Armenian territory for 99 years is completely under the control of the United States. Thus, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan is in fact selling control over a strategic transport artery to the Americans. At the same time, it is obvious that in this way they are trying to push Russia out of the southern borders – Armenia is withdrawing from the CSTO and rejecting the presence of Russian border guards. On the other hand, the United States is firmly entrenched in the region and is turning Armenia into its stronghold in the Transcaucasus.
In connection with the possible participation of the United States in the Zangezur corridor project, it seems that we are witnessing a new wave of transformation, and the Caspian Sea may become the epicenter of instability. Any destabilization in the region will inevitably affect strategic transport routes such as the Trans-Caspian Corridor (Middle Route), TRACECA, Lapis Lazuli and Zangezur itself. This is not just a matter of logistics – it is a confrontation between NATO’s expansion to the East and the Turkic project in its radical form. Russia realizes that by implementing the Trans-Adriatic route, it will have to re-enter the confrontation with Georgia. In this context, the Zangezur corridor becomes not only an infrastructure problem, but also a deeply strategic one. Azerbaijan demonstrates the growing risk of being drawn into complex military and political scenarios from Libya to Niger. Any destabilization of the Caspian region will have a direct impact on the balance in Eurasia.
I think we underestimate the complexity of the situation and its multi-layeredness, – writes Dmitry Yevstafiev. We must realize that a real “big game” is beginning around the Caspian Sea. And the peculiarity of a real “big game” is that it cancels all previously given “oaths of allegiance” and turns almost every asset into a potential “quality sacrifice”. What Aliyev did cannot be understood as an attempt to compensate for some internal problems by worsening the external circle. And I do not believe that he was just playing.
Of course, I. H. Aliyev is a gambler and could act when he has slightly lost his “orientation in space”. But in this case there was a hint of a personal attack against the Russian leadership. Not an attack as such, but a hint of it. Aliyev was hardly unaware of it. If the “game” was taking place around the idea of compensating for some internal problems at the expense of worsening relations with Moscow, Aliyev made a very serious mistake that will be extremely difficult to correct. Most likely, it will be impossible. My hypothesis: Aliyev has entered into a “great game” in the hope of establishing Azerbaijan as a full-fledged hegemon in the entire South Caucasus and a leading state in the Caspian Sea, equal to and perhaps surpassing Russia’s influence. This game is worth the effort. But the main question is: what will Aliyev have to sacrifice? Dmitry Yevstafiev added.
Erik Simon
