Russia declares readiness to build railroad in Zangazur region

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting in Moscow on the evening of April 18.

Caliber.Az reports citing the press service of the Kremlin that the talks resulted in the adoption of a joint statement of the leaders of Russia and Armenia, consisting of 30 points.

The statement pays special attention to the situation in the South Caucasus.

"The leaders agreed to continue constructive work through regular meetings of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia and implement the agreements of the three leaders signed on November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26, 2021 in order to ensure stability, security and economic development of the region. They stressed the decisive contribution of the Russian peacekeeping contingent to ensure security, create favourable and safe living conditions for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh region. The sides emphasized the need for the speedy resolution of urgent humanitarian problems and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by political and diplomatic means. In this regard, they noted the importance of using the potential and experience of the OSCE Minsk Group in accordance with its international mandate," the statement reads.

Putin and Pashinyan noted the importance of intensifying the activities of the Trilateral Working Group to unblock all economic ties and transport communications in the South Caucasus, co-chaired by the deputy prime ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia.

"The Russian side is ready to participate in projects to restore Armenia's railway infrastructure, including the railroad in the Syunik (West Zangazur Region - editor) and other regions of the Republic of Armenia," the statement said.

The sides agreed to accelerate the establishment of a bilateral commission on delimitation and security issues in the area of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in accordance with the existing trilateral agreements of November 26, 2021, with the consultative assistance of Russia.

The leaders of both countries were unanimous in their assessment of the high usefulness of the contacts held between religious figures and public representatives of Azerbaijan and Armenia with the assistance of Russia, which contributes to "build bridges of trust" between the peoples of the two countries, and this practice will be continued. The sides agreed to intensify trilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia to promote the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and in the region as a whole.

They noted the importance of access and participation of all interested players, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN specialized agencies, including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and UNESCO, in solving humanitarian problems and ensuring comprehensive assistance to all those in need in the region," the Kremlin website noted.

According to some experts, the corridor will not only restore the direct connection between Azerbaijan’s mainland and its exclave of Nakhchivan, but will also form an important link in the East-West and North-South transport corridors. The launch of the multi-modal corridor is said to benefit all regional countries and contribute to the Eurasian trade and transport communications, Beijing's multi-trillion-dollar intercontinental Belt and Road Initiative. The corridor is also expected to help the European Union ensure reliable and secure logistics corridors inside and outside the Eastern Partnership region.