Konstantin Sokolov, the head of the TRIPP+ trade fund, is in Armenia. This is the first visit of an American official to Yerevan in the capacity of the head of an American foundation with a budget of over $400 million. Konstantin Sokolov, along with senior advisor to the U.S. special envoy Arie Lightstone, was received today in Yerevan by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and earlier by Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan:
Both the government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs report that the parties discussed issues related to the implementation of the TRIPP project:
During the meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the interlocutors expressed confidence that practical steps in this direction would become more visible in the near future as a result of resolving technical issues. During the meeting with Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, the parties emphasized mutual interest in implementing the program within a tight timeframe:
Konstantin Sokolov is interested not only in Armenia's telecommunications sector but also in mining
Unlike the senior advisor to the U.S. special envoy, Konstantin Sokolov, the head of the TRIPP+ trade fund, has already been to Armenia once as an investor and even met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan:
The American investor, born in the USSR and later moved to Chicago, is more widely known in the Western press as a supporter of President Trump and a generous donor to the Republican Party. He was last in Armenia in 2024 as a shareholder of “MTS-Armenia”:
After acquiring shares of Armenia's largest telecommunications operator, the shareholders of “MTS-Armenia” decided to donate 20 percent of their shares to the state, the reasons for which remain unclear:
Nonetheless, the government explained this by the strategic importance of “Viva-Armenia” and the fact that the company has the largest subscriber base.
However, Sokolov's business interests do not end with the telecommunications sector in Armenia; his American company “Dynamic Frontier Holdings” recently also acquired the Teghut copper-molybdenum mine:
The U.S. has doubled the budget of the TRIPP fund
Interestingly, just weeks before Sokolov's arrival in Yerevan, the U.S. government doubled the fund's budget from $201 million to $402 million:
According to the U.S. government website, the place of use for the granted funds is indicated as Armenia, and the funds are to be utilized over the next ten years, until December 2036:
The TRIPP agreement has been sent to the Constitutional Court
Today, Azatutyun learned that the TRIPP agreement signed between the U.S. and Armenia on June 4 has already been sent to the Constitutional Court:
If the Constitutional Court recognizes the provisions of the international agreement as compliant with the Constitution, it will be sent to the National Assembly for ratification:
