Provocative Report Claims ‘Trump Bridge’ In Armenia Is A Done Deal
(Eurasianet) — Donald Trump may be well known for building towers, but if a story posted by a comparatively obscure Spanish media outlet is to be believed, he soon may have a land bridge in Armenia attached to his name.
The report, published July 22 by a platform called Periodista Digital, claims that Armenia, Azerbaijan and the United States have signed a memorandum providing for the establishment of overland connection between Azerbaijan proper and its Nakhchivan exclave. Dubbed the “Trump Bridge,” the report states that the corridor would stretch about 42-kilometers across Armenia’s Syunik Region enabling unimpeded travel for Azerbaijani nationals. While Armenia retains technical sovereignty over the corridor, an American firm will be responsible for day-to-day operations. About 1,000 military contractors supplied by a private American company will provide security for the route.
The Periodista Digital news item gives off a strong odor of a planted story. The outlet is not known for breaking news about foreign affairs, and mainly generates content about domestic Spanish developments, offering a slightly sensationalized take on the news. Armenia seems far beyond its coverage zone. It describes the source for its story as member of the “Armenian diaspora in France who preferred to remain anonymous and who managed to mobilize contacts within the [Armenian] government” to secure a copy of the memo.
Heightening suspicion that there is a lot more to the backstory about the report’s origin than meets the eye, shortly after Periodista Digital published its piece, Caliber, an Azerbaijani outlet closely aligned with President Ilham Aliyev’s administration, came out with its own article announcing “Trump Bridge” as being a done deal, citing the Spanish publication.
“It is clear that the United States and Turkey will be the primary beneficiaries of the implementation of the memorandum’s provisions,” the Periodista Digital article states. “While the benefits for Turkey can be considered economic, the United States, as part of its strategic interests, primarily aims to establish firm control over the Armenia-Iran border.”
The Armenian Foreign Ministry reacted swiftly to deny the report, calling it “another manifestation of hybrid warfare and manipulative propaganda.” It characterized Periodista Digital as “a website of dubious origin … which has repeatedly found itself at the center of criticism for serving as a platform for the use of fake identities.”
Despite the credibility issues surrounding Periodista Digital, there are other, easily verifiable statements and developments that suggest an American-administered corridor across Armenia may well be in the offing.
First, there are comments made by Trump himself. Speaking to reporters on July 20, Trump referred to the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process, saying “we worked magic there,” adding that a deal “is pretty close … if not already done.” One of the chief hangups to the finalization of a peace pact has been Azerbaijan’s demand for unhindered use of what it terms the “Zangezur” corridor.
In addition, Armenian officials have acknowledged that a plan in which the United States has a role administering the “Syunik road” has been discussed. In an interview published July 10 by RFE/RL, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan said Yerevan was open to the idea, emphasizing that “this process must be carried out under the sovereignty, jurisdiction, and territorial integrity of Armenia.”
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