Turkey’s Alican border crossing into Armenia lies at the end of a peaceful spur road. Shepherds tend their flocks in the surrounding fields, and the occasional tractor kicks up dust that hangs in the air. Even the military bunkers scattered across the landscape seem half asleep in the sun.
Yet Turkey hopes this tranquil cul-de-sac could soon become part of a global trade junction. Earlier this year, officials began installing the systems needed to process passports at the border, closed for 32 years — a move that could unlock a crucial trade route linking Asia to Europe.
The project, backed by the US president as part of peace plans for Armenia and Azerbaijan, even has a grandiose name: the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP).