Do you still believe everything that [PM] Nikol Pashinyan speaks about? — asked Robert Kocharyan, the second President of Armenia, during his press conference Tuesday, commenting on the Armenian authorities’ claims that control over the “Trump Route” will remain with Armenia.

“It’s not going to happen. The signed document itself separates, distinguishes this route. Does that tell us something or not? It tells [us] the following: control over this road will be different from that over other roads. Otherwise, it’s just meaningless, absurd to note separately.

I also have no doubt that this road will be transferred under a long-term contract to the company that will manage that road. And I have no doubt that Armenia will have no influence whatsoever over that company. Whether it’s a lease or a concession, there will be such contractual clauses that the Republic of Armenia’s sphere of influence will be sharply narrowed — zeroed.

Second, do you think that the Republic of Armenia will be able to dictate anything regarding that road behind which the United States will stand? Really? Are we that naïve? It’s not going to happen. As someone who served as president for 10 years, I can see all this clearly just by reading the document — and it’s not even hidden deep between the lines. It’s blatantly obvious,” said the former president of Armenia.

Kocharyan reiterated that, apart from this road, the rest of the routes are of no interest to Armenia’s neighboring countries.

“This will remain for Armenia’s own use — either for Armenia-Armenia domestic [routes] or Armenia–Georgia which is used. We [Armenia] will not be a beneficiary of this project unless the route reaches the Yeraskh line, unless the railway enters Iran through Julfa.

I insist that Armenia will gain nothing from this project unless those two conditions — which I mentioned in my introductory remarks — work; this is obvious. I’m even surprised that this raises doubts,” said the second president of Armenia.