Moscow Signals Support for ‘Trump Route,’ If It is ‘Good’ for Armenia

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Overchuk on Friday said that his country will back a U.S.-led initiative to manage a road in Armenia’s Syunik Province if the deal is deemed to be “good” for Armenia.

“We consider this issue from this perspective: Armenia is our strategic ally, and if Armenia believes that something is good for them, then, of course, we support Armenia in it,” Overchuk was quoted by Russia’s TASS news agency as saying, reiterating that Moscow considers Armenia a strategic ally.

Following the 2020 Artsakh War, Overchuk, along with his counterparts from Armenia and Azerbaijan, oversaw a commission tasked with unblocking regional transport laws as envisioned by the November 9, 2020 agreement that ended military attacks in Artsakh.

“If they believe that the signing of a corresponding declaration in Washington provides greater security guarantees, then this is good, because we also support peace processes in the South Caucasus,” Overchuk emphasized, adding that it therefore “entirely and completely” meets the interests of the Russian Federation.

Earlier this week, the deputy communications director of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Aleksey Fadeyev, said that Moscow was going to examine the details of the White House agreement as it pertained to the transport issues in the South Caucasus.

Fadeyev emphasized, however, that any connectivity initiative must take into account Armenia’s membership in the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union as well as the presence of Russian border guards in Armenia’s Syunik province.