Final Phase of Transportation Route Coordination, Lavrov

The basis for the unblocking of railway and transportation communications will be the preservation of Armenia's territorial sovereignty. This opinion was expressed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a joint press conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, commenting on the Azerbaijani side's statements regarding the establishment of a 'corridor' through Armenian territory.

According to him, the meeting of the deputy prime ministers of the three countries on June 3 can be evaluated positively: they are working rhythmically.

"As you know, the railway route has been agreed upon, and we are now concluding the coordination of the transport route and its regime. The unblocking will rely on the recognition of the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia. There can be no ambiguity here," stated Lavrov.

For his part, Mirzoyan also emphasized that there is no corridor logic, and that it is a common understanding. At the same time, according to Mirzoyan, there are many details on which the parties have different perceptions. However, the foreign minister is confident that the parties will reach mutually acceptable solutions.

It should be noted that the working group, led by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan from the Armenian side, is discussing the issue of unblocking transport routes in the region, specifically railway and automobile routes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The commission was established based on a declaration adopted by the leaders of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan in January 2021.