Scandal at TRACECA: Armenian and Azerbaijani Delegations Disagree

A scandal erupted today in Baku during the TRACECA meeting that also includes representatives from Armenia. Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures, Armen Simonian, who heads the Armenian delegation, expressed dissatisfaction regarding one of the agenda items that required delegation members to visit the Memorial Complex.

“We are avoiding the politicization of this structure, as you noted, our delegation was constructive during the discussions. However, I cannot fail to comment on certain peculiarities in the agenda. The issue is the visit to the Memorial Complex. It is incomprehensible to us how this is related to TRACECA and why this visit has become part of the agenda,” Simonian stated in his speech.

According to him, last year’s program did not include any thematic points with a political subtext.

In response, Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov stated that he understands the Armenian side’s reaction well, “as they have come from Yerevan to Baku and can see Azerbaijan's capital with their own eyes.” Jabbarov invited the Armenian delegation to visit the Memorial Complex and the Heydar Aliyev Center, “where there is a history dedicated to Yerevan (Yerevan) and many new things to learn about the history of the Yerevan Khanate and the founding of Yerevan.”

“We find it unacceptable that such platforms are used to promote national and contested ideas,” the Armenian representative noted, adding that the Azerbaijani side likely has arguments to explain why Armenia's borders are blocked by the two member countries of the project.

TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia) is a regional cooperation program proposed by the European Union in 1993. Its aim is to develop a transport corridor from Europe through the Black Sea, the Caucasus, and the Caspian Sea to Central Asia. By order of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian delegation has been dispatched to Azerbaijan to participate in the 14th session of the Intergovernmental Commission of the Europe-Caucasus-Asia international transport corridor (TRACECA) and the meeting dedicated to the organization’s 20th anniversary.

The delegation includes Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Armen Simonian, head of the Technical Policy Department of the Automotive Transport Policy Division of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Arman Karapetyan, and an advisor of the Multilateral Policy and Development Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Artem Aznauryan. Representatives from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan are participating in the event.