“The unblocking of communications [between Armenia and Azerbaijan] is possible within the framework of the agreements reached by the leaders of the three states and reflected in the joint statement of November 9-10, 2020,” he said, referring to a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement that stopped the last Armenian-Azerbaijani war in Nagorno-Karabakh. “As you know, Russia is always ready to join in that process and help based on the principle of sovereignty, territorial integrity and jurisdiction.”
Overchuk arrived in Armenia and met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Friday following bitter recriminations on the issue traded by Yerevan and Moscow. Russian Foreign Sergei Lavrov sparked the war of words with his August 19 statement accusing the Armenian side of “sabotaging” the construction of a highway and railway connecting Nakhichevan to the rest of Azerbaijan via Syunik, the only Armenian province bordering Iran.
The two increasingly estranged allies have different interpretations of Paragraph 9 of the truce accord stipulating that Russian border guards will “control” the movement of people, vehicles and goods through Syunik. Armenian officials say this does not mean they can escort the traffic to and from the Azerbaijani exclave, let alone be involved in Armenian border controls. Lavrov indicated early this year Moscow wants “neutral border and customs control” there.
Overchuk co-chairs, together with Armenian and Azerbaijani deputy prime minister, a trilateral working group dealing with the practical modalities of those transport links. He and the Armenian co-chair Mher Grigorian, held separate talks on Friday. Speaking to journalists the following day, the Russian vice-premier did not say whether the two sides managed to bridge their differences.
“The key question is whether or not the Armenian authorities can renounce the infamous Paragraph 9 of the November [2020] statement and do so without shocks,” said Armen Baghdasarian, an Armenian political analyst. “It’s not just about that road [to Nakhichevan.] If that road functions without Russian control, then Russia's position in the region will be significantly weakened.”
“But if the communication channels are placed under Russian control, then Armenia can once and for all forget about ever escaping Russian influence,” Baghdasarian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Russia’s renewed push for such a transport corridor has also alarmed Iran, which fears losing its common border with Armenia. The Iranian Foreign Ministry reportedly warned Moscow earlier this month against contributing to any “geopolitical changes” in the region.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said last week that it has provided Tehran with “all the necessary clarifications on this matter.” An Iranian lawmaker, Fada Hossein Maleki, again criticized Moscow at the weekend. He earlier described the percent Russian support for the “Zangezur corridor” sought by Azerbaijan as a “stab in the back.”