Moscow: it has not yet been possible to put end to issue of  unblocking regional communications in South Caucasus due to lack of  political will of parties

ArmInfo.Yerevan's "Crossroads of the Peace" initiative is in many ways consonant with the project that has been discussed over the past years within the framework of a tripartite working group co-chaired by the vice-prime ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan.  

Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova stated on November 9  during a briefing, in response to a request to express her attitude  towards Yerevan's "Crossroads of the Peace" initiative.

In this vein, the Russian diplomat recalled that the trilateral  working group is engaged in unblocking transport and economic ties in  the region. "And in our firm belief, this process plays a vital role  in normalizing relations between Baku and Yerevan, contributing to  stabilization and opening the transport and logistics potential of  the entire South Caucasus," Zakharova said.

She recalled that the leaders of the three countries decided to  establish this working group just a few months after the end of  hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh in the fall of 2020. She added that  the group has already held 19 meetings and has done a lot of work to  assess the current state of the logistics infrastructure and select  the best options for railway and road communications. "We managed to  come very close to reaching a package solution that would be  beneficial to all parties. Unfortunately, it has not yet been  possible to put an end to this issue due to the lack of political  will of the parties," Zakharova said.

At the same time, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry  emphasized that Moscow stands ready to assist in the processes of  unblocking regional communications, including on the basis of the  provisions of trilateral high-level statements of November 9, 2020  and January 11, 2021, where the role of the Russian Federation is  clearly stated.

Answering the question about the establishment of special division of  the National Security Service of Armenia by decision of the Prime  Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan to protect communications in this  direction,  Zakharova noted that in accordance with the  above-mentioned tripartite statements, control over transport  communications between Azerbaijan and the Nakhijevan Autonomous  Region is called upon to be carried out by the border services of the  Federal Security Service of Russia.

The diplomat also recalled that the first meeting of the special  representatives of Armenia and Turkey on the normalization of  Armenian-Turkish relations was held in Moscow on January 14, 2021,  and this was done based on the goal of bringing Armenia out of the  blockade.

"It seems to me that another good platform for developing mutually  acceptable solutions between the countries of the region and their  neighbors is the 3+3 consultative regional initiative, the meeting of  which was held just recently. We expect that at the next platform  meeting in Turkey in 2024, transportation topics will be discussed as  well. Within this format, Yerevan's constructive proposal will be in  demand," Zakharova concluded.

On October 26, speaking at a forum in the capital of Georgia, Prime  Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said that the government of the  republic has developed and is presenting the "Crossroads of the  Peace" project as an important part of the peace agenda. The key  meaning of this project is the development of communications between  Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran through the repair, construction  and operation of roads, railways, pipelines, cables, and power lines.

"The railways passing through the south and north of Armenia have not  been functioning at the regional level for thirty years, numerous  highways connecting the East and West are not functioning, while the  resumption of operation of these roads would provide a short and  efficient both rail and road route connecting the Caspian Sea with  the Mediterranean. Likewise, these railway and road communications  can become an effective way to connect the Persian Gulf with the  Black Sea, including Georgian ports. This project will greatly  benefit all countries in our region, and I want to draw attention to  governments and private investors for this opportunity," said the  head of the Armenian government.