Russian Foreign Ministry responds to Pashinyan’s comments on Zangezur corridor

The Russian Foreign Ministry has addressed Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's recent remarks regarding the interpretation of the ninth point of the trilateral statement, which he suggested allows for the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) to monitor, but not control, the Zangezur corridor.

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated during a briefing that Russia is committed to the agreements reached at the highest level within the trilateral framework, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“The trilateral working group, established by order of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, has agreed on the main parameters for unblocking railway communication, including transit between the main territory of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through Armenia's Syunik region,” Zakharova emphasized. “It is expedient to agree on different interpretations in the same format in which these issues were considered. Therefore, we see no alternative to this (trilateral agreements - ed.) and will continue to work in this direction,” she added.

On October 12, during the conference titled “Crossroads of Peace: Uniting Security and Democracy,” Pashinyan asserted that the role of Russian FSB representatives may only extend to monitoring the road in Syunik (Zangezur). He referred to the ninth point of the trilateral statement from November 9, 2020, which outlines the unblocking of all economic and transport connections in the region.

“The Republic of Armenia guarantees the security of the transport communication between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic to facilitate the unimpeded movement of citizens, vehicles, and cargo in both directions. Control over the transport communication shall be exercised by the bodies of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia,” Pashinyan quoted, highlighting the importance of the sentence: “Control over the transport communication shall be exercised by the bodies of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia.”

“Recently, this sentence was quoted in a certain circle, and I asked what it means, and who can explain. What it means is explained in the Russian President's decree of December 10, 2020. It means that Russian representatives can be given some kind of monitoring function to see how Armenia fulfils its obligations,” Pashinyan clarified.

Furthermore, he emphasized that none of the points in the statement impose any restrictions on Armenia's sovereign rights. Pashinyan also pointed out that the statement encompasses multiple issues, asserting that one cannot focus solely on a single point.

By Tamilla Hasanova