VIDEO: Azerbaijan Will Not Be Able to Break Our People’s Determination, Says Prime Minister in Minsk

The Prime Minister of Armenia addressed several important issues during a speech in the capital of Belarus, Minsk, including the pandemic situation in the country and the aggressive actions initiated by Azerbaijan.

In his remarks, he stated: "Honorable heads of governments, esteemed members of the delegations, I would like to first thank the Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus, Roman Alexandrovich Golovchenko, for organizing today’s meeting and for the warm welcome and hospitality. Given that this is the first meeting of the Eurasian Economic Council with the participation of Roman Alexandrovich and Kubatbek Ayilchiev, I would like to take this opportunity to once again congratulate you on your appointments as Prime Ministers of Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. I wish you success and the implementation of all goals in this important and responsible position.

This is our first meeting after a long hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In this regard, I would like to express my satisfaction that our union has faced this challenge with honor. It proved its viability in crisis situations and demonstrated how important a role it plays in the lives of our countries. The Commission did not interrupt its activities for a moment. The meetings of the Council of the Commission, the Intergovernmental Council, and the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, which were held via videoconference, not only allowed us to exchange information about the situation in our countries but also enabled us to continue discussing issues and making decisions that are fundamentally important for the future of our integration.

Our cooperation within the union would not have been as effective without the strong friendship that exists between all our countries and peoples. It is particularly important for me to emphasize the high level of cooperation and mutual assistance that we have felt from all our partners in the Union during these days, without exception. I would like to express special thanks to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk for their prompt responses to all issues, particularly regarding the uninterrupted transport connection between Russia and Armenia. This was strategically important for our economy.

In this context, I cannot fail to mention the work of Belavia Airlines. Throughout all these months, it continued to operate regular flights to Armenia, despite the fact that all other airlines had halted their operations in Armenia.

Dear friends, the epidemiological situation in Armenia continues to remain severe, despite some encouraging figures that have emerged in our statistics in recent days. The pandemic has indeed negatively impacted all aspects of our lives. It has struck our economy and social sector. The mobility of the population has decreased, and the circulation of goods and services has become more difficult. The healthcare system is experiencing unprecedented strain. Today, all countries around the world, without exception, are experiencing these difficulties to some extent.

It is more than clear that maintaining peace and halting armed conflicts is a crucial prerequisite for effectively combating the pandemic and the resulting economic crisis. In this regard, I cannot fail to mention a topic that is vital for us and for maintaining stability in our region. As you know, Azerbaijan, disregarding numerous calls for a ceasefire during the pandemic, including the joint statement of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on April 14 and the statement by the UN Secretary-General on March 23, unleashed military operations in the northeastern direction of the Armenian border.

The Armenian armed forces could not but respond to Azerbaijan's provocative actions. Unfortunately, provocations continue to this day, contributing to the maintenance of tension and the unpredictability of the situation. Azerbaijan’s aggressive policy aimed at exacerbating tensions in the region leads nowhere. It will not be able to break our people’s determination nor force us into unfounded and unilateral concessions regarding the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. There is no military solution to the conflict, and peaceful negotiations are irreplaceable, which corresponds to the interests of all the people in our region.

Dear friends, I would like to focus on the following issues from today’s agenda. First, I would like to express general satisfaction regarding the work done towards the creation of a common gas market of the Eurasian Economic Union, as reflected in the report. We hope that further constructive work in this direction will accelerate, on the basis of mutual understanding and respect for the interests of all member states of the Union. Among the urgent issues of this program are the transition to market pricing mechanisms and the establishment of tariffs for the services of gas transportation in the common market. We are confident that the application of these principles is an important prerequisite for achieving the goals of creating a unified gas market.

I would also like to express our opinion on the development roadmaps for agro-industrial and industrialization in the Eurasian Economic Space. We consider it appropriate to include major projects in the agro-industrial development roadmap that foresee interstate cooperation, the mutual supply of raw materials or finished products, as well as projects aimed at developing and implementing innovative technological solutions. As for the industrialization roadmap of the Eurasian Economic Union, it can become an additional mechanism for promoting cooperative collaboration and facilitating the implementation of joint projects for import substitution, as well as evaluating the potential of the Union’s industrial sectors. The development of the industrialization roadmap will also allow more efficient use of production resources in each member state of the Union and will help support the enterprises of EAEU countries that cooperate with enterprises in other member states.

Among the issues on our meeting agenda, I would also like to emphasize the importance of public health and sanitary-epidemiological welfare measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus infection. In conclusion, I would like to pay special attention to the issue of food security in the EAEU. I would like to note that issues related to food security have always been in our focus, and, as far as I know, certain preliminary work has already been done in this area within the EAEU. Furthermore, in the 2025 strategy, we agreed to develop 'Common Principles and Approaches for Food Security of EAEU Countries.' However, under the conditions of the pandemic, solving this issue has become especially urgent; therefore, I propose that dear colleagues instruct the Commission to develop and present a doctrine (concept) on food security in the EAEU in cooperation with the countries involved. That concludes my speech. Thank you for your attention, and finally, I would like to remind you that Armenia is willing and reaffirms its desire to host the next meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Yerevan this October. Thank you.