Russia supports implementation of Zangazur corridor

Russia, the European Union, and the United States can work together on the settlement of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan only if the West takes into account what has been achieved through Moscow's mediation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said, Azernews reports.

"They can work together on the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement. But with the understanding that the European Union and the United States will not intercept our developments and pass them off as their own, but will fit their actions into those modalities of the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement that have already been worked out between the parties through Russian mediation," the Deputy Foreign Minister said.

According to the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, on 2 June this year, when the last meeting of the trilateral working group was held, the sides noted noticeable progress in moving towards the unblocking of transport communications. "However, we believe that the unblocking of transport communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan, namely the creation of the Meghri route, would link the main territory of Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan."

During the conference, an RBC correspondent asked Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin an affirmative question to clarify whether he was referring to the Zangazur railway or the Meghri route, to which the Minister replied that it is about the railway through the territory of Armenia.

"Still, we are talking about the railway through the territory of Armenia, that's why I allowed myself to use the name Meghri route. Yes, in Azerbaijan it is called the Zangazur corridor. Let's just say that in order for this wording to suit everyone, we are actively helping our Azerbaijani and Armenian partners to reach an agreement.

We believe that this agreement will be a very important factor in general stabilization in Transcaucasia. It will contribute to the economic development of all Transcaucasian states because in this case, Armenia will have an opportunity to become a transport and logistics hub and strengthen and expand its transport links with Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Russia. Azerbaijan will get an opportunity for uninterrupted rhythmic transport communication between the two parts of the country.

And the overall stabilization of the situation in the Transcaucasus will serve to strengthen the foundations of trust between Armenia and Azerbaijan for the future. So we are determined to further advance these consultations within the Trilateral Working Group." says Russian Foreign Minister Galuzin.