VP: No progress in Azerbaijan-Armenia-Russia commission without consensus

Armenian Vice Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan has said that the Azerbaijan-Armenia-Russia trilateral commission, aimed at restoring regional routes and led by the vice prime ministers of three countries, has paused its meetings due to unresolved issues lacking consensus.

Grigoryan, who is also the chairman of the Armenian Commission on Border Demarcation with Azerbaijan, made these remarks at a parliamentary briefing in Yerevan, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media. 

“The meetings are not held. You know that there are fundamental issues where consensus is required. Until there is consensus, discussing the details is pointless,” he responded to a journalist's question.

The trilateral commission was formed during a meeting in Moscow in early 2021. The leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia attended the meeting. They decided to create a working group at the vice-premier level, focusing on strengthening transport and economic ties in the region. The establishment of a direct route between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan through Armenian territory remains a key issue in regional communications.

Moreover, Grigoryan noted that the absence of a unified map continues to be the main challenge in the border demarcation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“The issue of maps is the most complex aspect of this process. As you know, there is no complete map. There are maps accepted at different periods. The 1976 map of the General Staff of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR], which was binding for both Armenia and Azerbaijan, is supported by legal documents and was created by an authorised body,” he stated. 

He said that Armenian authorities believe that Azerbaijan will ratify the regulations governing the operations of the border demarcation commissions. 

“The process is progressing synchronously; I just don’t know what stage it is at in Azerbaijan. At the moment of signing, the logic suggests that it will be synchronous. I have no concerns that the document will not be ratified in Azerbaijan,” he stated.

The Armenian vice prime minister is submitting the regulations at the meeting of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations in Parliament, after which it will be included in the main agenda on October 22.

On September 2, the Armenian government released a draft for the ratification of the provisions regarding the joint operations of the border demarcation commissions with Azerbaijan. 

According to the proposed legislation, the Armenian and Azerbaijani commissions will use all available maps and legally substantiated documents during the demarcation process. The regulations are drafted in the Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Russian languages and will also require ratification by Azerbaijan.

By Naila Huseynova