Armenian deputy PM: Yerevan reaches consensus on railway with Baku

Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan has said that the first project within the framework of unblocking communications may be the Yeraskh (Arazdoyan) - Meghri - Horadiz railway.

A trilateral working group led by the deputy prime ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia has reached a final understanding on two issues, Caliber.Az reports, quoting Armenian media.

First, there is an insight that the first project within the framework of unblocking communications could be the Yeraskh (Arazdoyan) - Meghri - Horadiz road.

"I think this is important because in this case, it is clear which route we are talking about. All parties share the view that this could be the first possible arrangement at this stage and a good solution for all countries in the region," Grigoryan added.

Secondly, there is a mutual understanding that cargo control should be based on the sovereignty of the countries through which it passes. Commenting on whether Baku agrees with this approach, Grigoryan replied: "I think so because we have repeatedly stated that we simply will not discuss such an issue in another format. If meetings and discussions nevertheless take place, then this approach is shared by other parties to the process, at least within the trilateral format.

Asked whether the Federal Security Service (FSB) border guards would control the railway, Grigoryan reiterated that cargo control would be based on the sovereignty of the countries, while FSB’s functions and their implementation should be discussed.

Grigoryan confirmed that an agreement has been reached with Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev to meet in the near future, as part of a working group on border delimitation.

However, there is no certainty yet about the date and venue of the talks.