Roads, Pipelines, and Cables from Azerbaijan Must Enter Turkey via Armenia: Pashinyan

Establishing lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus is a priority for the Republic of Armenia, in which context I emphasize the unblocking of regional infrastructures. This was stated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in an interview with the Greek publication 'Kathimerini'.

“The 'Peace Crossroad' project envisages, among other things, a significant increase in automotive freight transportation, pipelines, power transmission, and internet cable capacities between the Black Sea on one side and the Persian and Omani Gulf on the other, through Armenian territory. The project also involves creating a railway communication between these two endpoints, which is possible in the case of normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, as the most optimal route for the railway from Georgia to the Islamic Republic of Iran passes through the Azerbaijani Nakhchivan, a route that existed during the Soviet era. This is the north-south axis of the 'Peace Crossroad'.

There is also an east-west axis, which could connect the Caspian Sea with the Mediterranean Sea through Armenian territory, as well as the Turkish ports of the Black Sea. For this, it is necessary for railways and roads from Azerbaijan through Armenia, along with pipelines, power lines, and cables, to enter Turkey. We are ready for such solutions. Moreover, these infrastructures can also be used for communication from the main part of Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan, and we are also prepared for this.

For the operation of all these infrastructures, we have enshrined well-known principles in the 'Peace Crossroad' project, including: - All infrastructures must be under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the countries through which they pass. - Each country conducts border and customs control through its state institutions in its territory and ensures security. - The mentioned infrastructures can be used for both international and domestic transportation. - All countries utilize each other's infrastructures on the principles of equality and reciprocity,” Pashinyan stated.