Second President Robert Kocharyan considers it important to modify the “Trump Route” regional communication project in Armenia’s favor. He expressed this opinion during his press conference Tuesday.

After listing the shortcomings of the current project, Kocharyan noted that one option is to propose expanding the project, since US interest is obvious.

“If expansion fails, I believe [Azerbaijani president Ilham] Aliyev will withdraw — [then] the second option can chosen,” he said.

“The second option is to thank the US and saying that it’s a good idea, but we — Armenia — will build that section ourselves. We can keep the name ‘Trump Route,’ but the control will remain with Armenia. This would solve an important issue. Iran borders seven countries, and only on the Armenia-Iran border would the Americans appear. Bravo! If anyone thinks Iran is happy about this, I will disappoint you. The second closest US presence is Incirlik [in Turkey] on the Mediterranean Sea. This is very risky for Armenia. The question is which is worse for Iran — US or Azerbaijani presence on the border? I don’t have the answer to this question, and I’m sure Armenia’s authorities don’t have it either,” Kocharyan said, recalling Iran’s position that it will not allow border changes.

“How much money is needed for construction [of the ‘Trump Route’]? Pashinyan has claimed it’s very expensive — over 1 billion [US dollars] — and therefore they’re delegating the matter to the US. Let’s try to understand,” Kocharyan suggested.

He recalled that the Hayastan All Armenian Fund built the 114km Vardenis–Martakert motorway in Armenia, spending 17 billion drams, and much of the road was built in far more difficult terrain, practically from scratch.

 “That’s $40 million, about $400,000 per kilometer. A few years have passed — let’s add inflation and estimate $500,000. Let it be a wider, better road, include the CC’s [i.e. the ruling Civil Contract Party and its parliamentary faction] ‘kickbacks,’ and round it to 1 million per kilometer. A motorway can be built for $43 million. The railway is there — it’s just missing rails and ties. Armenia’s reserve fund is 65 billion. Spread it over a few years, cut bonuses, there’s no need even to take a loan. Isn’t it shameful? To create risks, tell fairy tales about a ‘1 billion project,’ when a road can be built in two to three years,” the former president of Armenia stated.

He added that while the corridor does have transit potential, it is somewhat exaggerated. Turkmen natural gas goes entirely to China, with powerful pipelines already built — but there’s no natural gas or oil heading this way; oil goes to Europe via Novorossiysk, Russia, and the existing Baku–Ceyhan pipeline is 65 to 70 percent loaded.

“A more realistic view is as follows: the road interests Turkey for implementing its geopolitical project, connecting with Azerbaijan and Central Asia. [It interests] Azerbaijan for connecting with [its] Nakhchivan [exclave] and Turkey. And a corridor under US control is very interesting for Israel, for their long-term plans against Iran,” added the second president of Armenia.