Road lease or construction right? Armenian Prime Minister outlines key principles of the TRIPP project
YEREVAN, September 10. /ARКА/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan responded to a request regarding the term "road lease" used by the United States in the context of the TRIPP project, which may run as long as 99 years.
"In Armenian legislation, the term 'road lease' does not exist. I told my American counterparts that in Armenia, the term 'lease' refers to the right to construct. There exists a legislative provision allowing for a lease of 99 years... that is to say, to grant the right to construct. After this duration, all investments revert to the Republic of Armenia. Consequently, the investor is motivated to establish the terms to validate their investments," Pashinyan remarked during the government Q&A session in parliament.
He referred to the operations of the American firm ContourGlobal Hydro Cascade, which has owned the Vorotan cascade of hydroelectric power plants since 2015 as a precedent.
In addressing the inconsistencies related to the definitions of "lease" and "right to construct", Pashinyan emphasized that everything is governed by five principles: territorial integrity, sovereignty, jurisdiction, reciprocity, and the inviolability of borders.
He asserted that nothing supersedes the legislation of Armenia and the aforementioned principles. "The Washington Declaration stipulates continuous transport communication for Armenia through Azerbaijan's territory and for Azerbaijan through Armenia's territory on a reciprocal basis," Pashinyan concluded. -0-
