Regional leaders join Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Senator Steve Daines, U.S. officials, TCEF Founding Chairman Konstantin Sokolov and private-sector executives at high-level New York event
NEW YORK, September 2026 — The Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund (TCEF), a U.S. non-profit capitalized with $201 million from the U.S. Government, set out its vision to mobilize private capital and advance long-term economic growth across the South Caucasus and Central Asia during UN General Assembly High-Level Week in New York.
The Fund will invest alongside the private sector in businesses and infrastructure to strengthen regional connectivity, expand trade and drive long-term economic prosperity across one of the world’s most strategically important emerging trade corridors.
The event, “Prosperity Through Peace: Investing in the Trans-Caspian Trade Route and TRIPP,” brought together senior government representatives from the eight countries across the Fund’s mandate, senior U.S. officials and executives from more than 40 private-sector companies to discuss investment opportunities across the region.
Participants included Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff, Senator Steve Daines, Assistant Secretaries of State Brendan Hanrahan and Paul Kapur, and TCEF Founding Chairman Konstantin Sokolov, alongside senior officials representing Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The discussions were moderated by Aryeh Lightstone, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions.
Konstantin Sokolov, Founding Chairman of the Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund, said: “This is a defining moment for the Trans-Caspian region. There is tremendous enthusiasm from the U.S. Government, regional leaders and the private sector to turn greater connectivity into investment and economic opportunity. TCEF has the capital, mandate and ambition to help make that happen. By mobilizing private investment and backing businesses that can transform the region, we can help build lasting prosperity and strengthen the foundations for peace.”
The discussions in New York centered on the growing commercial opportunities created by greater regional connectivity, focusing on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) and the broader Trans-Caspian Trade Route, and the role of private capital in translating that momentum into sustainable economic growth.
In August, marking the first anniversary of the historic breakthrough between Armenia and Azerbaijan under President Trump’s leadership, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund was operational, led by a newly elected Board of Directors.
Secretary Rubio said: “This progress reflects a simple truth: peace and prosperity reinforce one another.”
The Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund will identify and invest in businesses and infrastructure projects across Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
In addition to supporting opportunities created by TRIPP and greater regional connectivity, the Fund will target investments in areas including energy, logistics and trade facilitation, critical minerals, financial services, rail and roads, and small and medium-sized businesses. TCEF will seek to use its capital as a catalyst to attract additional private investment into commercially viable opportunities across the region.
About the Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund
The Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund (TCEF) is a U.S. nonprofit capitalized with $201 million from the U.S. Government to mobilize private investment along the Trans-Caspian Trade Route. The Fund invests in businesses and infrastructure that can support economic growth, regional connectivity and expanded trade across Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.