Caucasus (bbabo.net), - Armenia is ready to open transport communications, but they must operate within the framework of the legislation of the republic. Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated this at a joint press conference with his Luxembourg counterpart Jean Asselborn in Yerevan, commenting on the proposal of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to establish checkpoints on the Lachin road and in the Zangezur corridor.
“Our answer is clear. And we publicly announced this immediately after the blocking (by Azerbaijani activists. - Ed.) of the Lachin corridor. Regulations related to the functioning of the Lachin corridor were stipulated and spelled out in a document signed, among other things, by the President of Azerbaijan. I'm talking about the tripartite statement (November 9, 2020). And new negotiations on the Lachin corridor with the use of force or with the threat of its use are unacceptable for us,” the head of Armenian diplomacy noted.
According to him, Azerbaijan's narrative - to get another "corridor" in exchange for unblocking the Lachin corridor - is not new. However, during all negotiations it was noted that the Lachin corridor is necessary as a humanitarian route, given that the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh is surrounded by Azerbaijanis.
Regarding the unblocking of other transport infrastructures in the region, as stated in the statement of November 9, 2020, and in subsequent statements adopted at the highest political level, Armenia's position remains very constructive, the minister said.
“Armenia can open roads at any time, as soon as it is agreed that all roads will function within the framework of the sovereignty and legislation of the countries through which they pass,” Mirzoyan stressed.
Armenia is ready to provide communication between Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan "even today". As bbabo.net reported, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this on August 4, 2022 at a meeting of the government of the republic.
After the end of the 44-day war in Karabakh, the Azerbaijani leadership began to seek from Armenia the creation of the so-called Zangezur corridor. According to Baku, a through transport link between "mainland" Azerbaijan and its Nakhichevan enclave through the Armenian Syunik region should be provided, following the example of the Lachin corridor, which links Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh and along which Russian peacekeepers are stationed. Meanwhile, Yerevan points out that in the tripartite statements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia dated November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26, 2021, October 31, 2022, there is no mention of the “Zangezur corridor”, in contrast to fixing the current status of the Lachin corridor. Citizens and goods move along this corridor without any inspection, customs procedures and duties. Baku wants the same extraterritoriality for the Zangezur Corridor, which is opposed by Yerevan.
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