Negotiations on activating transport link in S.Caucasus is underway, Russian official says

Negotiations of the trilateral working group on unblocking transport links in the South Caucasus continue, but the aggravation between Armenia and Azerbaijan has a negative impact on this activity. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk told reporters on the margins of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), Azernews reports, citing EEF.

"Of course, any aggravations always have a negative impact on our work, hold back, delay, and time passes before we come back again, sit down, and start working further," he said, answering a relevant question. - Negotiations have not been suspended, they are continuing."

According to Overchuk, the next meeting of Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan on unblocking transport links in the region will take place when conditions are ripe for it.

Earlier, the deputy prime minister, following the results of the last meeting of the working group, noted significant progress in agreeing to unblock transport communications between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The 2020 so-called “Nagorno-Karabakh” ceasefire agreement, signed by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, and the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, ended all hostilities in the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh" region from 00:00, 10 November 2020 Moscow time.

In 2021, an Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian commission was formed to work on implementing the “unblocking” of transport routes promised in the ceasefire statement. The opening of these routes could have a beneficial effect on the economies of the South Caucasus, and journey times have decreased along this route with the advent of “block trains”.

In February 2021, Azerbaijan announced it was starting reconstruction of the 108-kilometer (67-mile) section of the railway from the town of Horadiz to the border with Armenia. The leaders agreed on the need to proceed with unblocking the transport links and the Deputy Prime Ministers will take this work forward.

The sides agreed to continue working within the trilateral working group and teams led by the Foreign Ministers will take forward the process of establishing transport and economic ties in the region in the coming weeks. The EU will take forward with both parties the work of the Economic Advisory Group, which seeks to advance economic development for the benefit of both countries and their populations.

To recall, Armenia was holding the so-called “elections” once again clearly shows that Armenia and the puppet regime created by it, which have taken steps to maintain the status quo and continue its occupation policy, are not really interested in the peace process, on the contrary, have taken the path of provocation and escalating the situation.

Armenia should stop its futile attempts to deceive its people and the international community, put an end to the claims against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, constructively participate in the normalization process, and comply with its international obligations.

The only way to achieve peace and stability in the region is the unconditional and complete withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan and the disbandment of the puppet regime.