Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan proposes strengthening trilateral mechanisms to investigate incidents and adherence to ceasefire.
Addressing the sitting of the CIS Council of the Heads of State, the Prime Minister referred to the situation in the region established after the Artsakh War of 2020.
“Our region today is on the verge of very serious transformations. In case there is political will and wisdom, they can change the current picture and lead to real peace and stability. We are ready for such changes. Moreover, they coincide with our vision of the future,” PM Pashinyan stated.
He mentioned that in its action plan, the Armenian government has enshrined its goal of achieving “a new era of peaceful development for our country and our region.”
However, he added, there are many factors that call into question the possibility of peace in the region.
“Despite all the political efforts, despite the trilateral statement, people continue to die on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and in Nagorno Karabakh. In this regard, I propose to strengthen the trilateral mechanisms to investigate incidents and commitment to the ceasefire and the cessation of all hostilities. The rhetoric of hatred, constant threats and provocations became commonplace for us. Many not only do not believe in, but do not want peace and stability in our region. And in these conditions it is very difficult to advance the agenda of peace. But we are determined to do our best to achieve peace and stability in our region, we have a clear idea of how to achieve this goal,” Pashinyan stated.
“Dialogue and, unfortunately, the gradual overcoming of the atmosphere of hostility in our region, the unblocking of all regional transport and economic communications is the only way to achieve this goal. In this context, it is very important to fulfill the agreements reached in the trilateral statements of November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021.
He informed that a trilateral working group co-chaired by the Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan is working to open all transport communications and hopes to achieve concrete results in the near future.
“This means that Armenia will have a railway and land communication with Russia, a railway connection with Iran through the territory of Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan will receive a railway and road connection with Nakhichevan through the territory of Armenia,” he reported.
