Russia to meet Azerbaijan next week on South Caucasus transport links

Next week, Russia will meet with Azerbaijan to discuss the unblocking of transport communications in the South Caucasus, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk announced on August 15.

“At the end of next week, I have a meeting scheduled with the Azerbaijani side. We will discuss these issues [unblocking transport communications in the South Caucasus] there. So things are moving forward,” Overchuk said.

When asked about the venue, he confirmed the meeting will take place in Russia.

The deputy prime minister highlighted the role of a trilateral working group composed of the deputy prime ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. This group has been focusing on implementing the ninth point of the trilateral declaration signed by the leaders of the three countries, discussing in detail the nuances of unblocking transport links.

“Therefore, we are, of course, interested in understanding the progress made by the parties in resolving the issues discussed within the trilateral working group. Some of these nuances affect Russian interests in the South Caucasus, primarily regarding the development of rail transport. We are keen to learn whether solutions have been found for these issues,” Overchuk said.

He added that once the issues are resolved, the next step will involve translating agreements into technical and economic feasibility studies, evaluating project economics, and working on unblocking the transport routes. “But again, this will require trilateral efforts within the framework of the cooperation we have had and continue to have with Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Overchuk concluded.

By Tamilla Hasanova