“Everything is possible. We are moving bilaterally, making small, very small steps towards a positive result, and everything is possible,” he stated in parliament on Monday, but provided no further details.
On Friday, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian and Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev met primarily to address border delimitation and demarcation, but also touched upon transport links, according to an official press release by the Armenian government.
Grigorian’s office did not respond to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service immediately today when asked if discussions could shift to a bilateral format, suggesting a written request be sent instead.
Previously, Grigorian and Mustafayev addressed regional unblocking in a tripartite format that included their Russian counterpart, Alexei Overchuk. This format was established under the Moscow-brokered 2020 ceasefire agreement that ended fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh and supposed Russian control over a transport corridor through Armenia connecting mainland Azerbaijan to its western exclave of Nakhichevan. However, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly ruled out any Russian presence along this potential route, emphasizing Armenia’s need to maintain sovereignty over any transport links passing through its territory.
As a reflection of the current situation, the Armenian-Russian-Azerbaijani working group on regional unblocking has not convened for over a year now. Grigorian noted two weeks ago that the lack of consensus was the primary reason for the group’s inactivity. “Until there is such a consensus, it makes no sense to continue discussing the details,” he remarked.
Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on October 24, where they reportedly discussed the restoration of specific cargo transportation. However, Parliament Speaker Simonian declined to provide details on these discussions. “I’d ask you to approach it with understanding and not to expect too much information from me or our other officials, as it could harm the process,” he cautioned.
The opening of a railroad was actively discussed between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2021-22 and the discussions then were mediated by Russia. The Armenian government had estimated the construction cost at $200 million but insisted that formal agreements must be reached before any work begins.
Local Government Minister Gnel Sanosian today offered limited insights into the current negotiations, putting emphasis on Yerevan’s vision of regional connectivity summarized in the government’s Crossroads of Peace project. He highlighted discussions about the Meghri, Yeraskh, and Ijevan sections – previously operational infrastructures that are currently inactive.
Without specifying amounts, Sanosian mentioned that preliminary calculations have been made, and added that once concrete agreements are reached, these will be finalized, including construction timelines and budget planning. “We don’t see any problem. The Armenian government has the capacity to implement such large projects. In implementing such projects, countries often attract credit funds as well,” he noted.
Despite four years of negotiations on unblocking transport links, no significant progress has been achieved. Armenia opposes the extraterritorial logic of a potential road through its southern Syunik region, while Azerbaijan insists on unimpeded access to Nakhichevan via what it calls the “Zangezur Corridor.” An official in Baku said in August that this disagreement prompted the parties to remove the issue from ongoing peace talks by mutual consent.
Nonetheless, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan announced in parliament last week that proposals for unblocking transport links had been sent to Baku, though he did not clarify if this occurred before or after the issue was taken off the table in peace negotiations. He revealed that the proposals aim to simplify border crossing and customs procedures.
Rustam Badasian, head of Armenia’s State Revenue Committee, explained the implications of these proposals, indicating that advance information exchange between the two countries could facilitate smoother processes. “For example, we have experience with Georgia where we exchange our export data in advance, making the import phase easier,” he said, adding that scanner images could also be exchanged beforehand.
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