US and Azerbaijan begin rollout of key projects after Trump peace deal
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The US and Azerbaijan have launched technical talks on the TRIPP corridor as global energy shocks push Baku's transit capabilities to the heart of Europe's gas supply debate.
A US technical delegation has wrapped up talks in Baku on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) corridor, as Washington moves to turn its new strategic partnership with Azerbaijan into concrete infrastructure projects.
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The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) concluded the visit on Wednesday, describing its aim as "advancing the shared strategic infrastructure priorities" between the two countries — part of the US-Azerbaijan Charter on Strategic Partnership signed in February when Vice President JD Vance visited Baku.
"Azerbaijan's strategic geographic position makes it an indispensable hub along the Trans-Caspian Transit Route linking Central Asia to the West," Sara Leming, USTDA country manager for Europe and Eurasia, said in a statement to Euronews.
"The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity will make this corridor even more important. Regional connectivity is a key area for cooperation under our Strategic Partnership Charter and something USTDA is exploring during these missions."
Washington's infrastructure push
TRIPP is a 42-kilometre rail and road corridor through Armenian territory, brokered by US President Donald Trump as part of the August 2025 White House peace declaration between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
It forms the South Caucasus link in the wider Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, connecting China and Central Asia through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey to Europe.
The USTDA said it is now exploring projects with Azerbaijani counterparts across liquefied natural gas, civil nuclear energy, electricity transmission, AI infrastructure, cybersecurity and digital connectivity — sectors it said support Azerbaijan's long-term energy security "while advancing US economic and strategic interests."
Leming said the agency aims to move early-stage infrastructure concepts forward through feasibility studies, technical assistance and pilot programmes designed to draw in private capital.
"We see real opportunities in Azerbaijan," she said.
"Since Vice President Vance and President Aliyev signed the Charter in February, the US government has been working with our Azerbaijani partners to fully implement this historic agreement through concrete projects and programs, like those offered by USTDA, to benefit both our countries," Leming told Euronews.
Both Azerbaijan and Armenia are working on developing the transit route, which Washington sees as central to reshaping East-West energy and logistics flows — and to reducing European dependence on traditional supply routes.
RelatedEnergy security role
Azerbaijan's position at the heart of the emerging TRIPP corridor is no accident — the country has spent two decades building the pipeline infrastructure that now makes it one of Europe's most strategically significant energy partners.
The Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline and the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) together connect Caspian energy resources directly to Turkey and Europe, bypassing both Russia and the Strait of Hormuz.
The BTC, which links the Caspian, Black Sea and Mediterranean, has a capacity of around 1.2 million barrels per day and has carried crude from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan as well as Azerbaijan, reinforcing its role as a regional diversification tool.
According to Azerbaijan's State Statistical Committee, the country holds proven reserves of approximately 7 billion barrels of oil and 2.6 trillion cubic metres of natural gas.
In 2025, it produced more than 27 million tonnes of crude oil and 51.5 bcm of gas or more than triple its 2007 gas output. Azerbaijan now exports oil to nearly 30 countries and gas to 16, including 10 EU member states.
The Southern Gas Corridor and Europe
With the EU's gas import dependency now exceeding 85%, the SGC has become a key pillar of European supply security, opening the bloc's fourth gas supply corridor when Azerbaijani gas first reached Europe via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) in 2020.
Around 13 bcm of gas were delivered to European markets in 2025 — roughly 60% more than in 2021.
The Shah Deniz field, the corridor's primary supply source, has produced 267 bcm of gas and more than 52 million tonnes of condensate to date, according to Azerbaijani figures.
The EU and Azerbaijan are also developing three green energy corridors to bring renewable electricity to Europe, following a strategic partnership agreement signed in Bucharest in 2022 by Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary.
The corridors — spanning the Caspian–Black Sea–Europe route, the Azerbaijan–Turkey–Europe route, and a Central Asia–Azerbaijan–Europe link — are designed to enable large-scale electricity trade from renewable sources.
The EU's parallel push
On Wednesday, as the USTDA delegation wrapped up its visit to Baku, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was in Luxembourg and told foreign ministers gathered there that Azerbaijan "remains an important partner on energy and connectivity."
"We want to deepen our ties and will resume negotiations of a new bilateral cooperation agreement soon," she said at a press conference before the Foreign Affairs Council meeting.
Ministers stressed that Europe has a strategic interest in a stable and secure South Caucasus, with Kallas saying the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalisation process was "extremely important" to the EU.
"Progress in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process is a real opportunity for the region, and the EU is significantly stepping up its support," she concluded.
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