The issue of establishing a transport hub in the South Caucasus can serve as a basis for improving relations between Baku and Yerevan. The statement came from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
“We are sincerely interested in the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We believe that working together to focus on the economic aspects of overcoming the protracted conflict creates an optimal framework for it,” Lavrov said.
He noted that the Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan regularly meet within the framework of a working group set up by the leaders of the three countries to discuss the practical aspects of the agreement to unblock all economic and transport communications in the South Caucasus.
“This is a potentially very serious transport hub, which will mean much more than the regional framework,” the minister added.
Notably: On 27 September, the Azerbaijani side launched hostilities in Nagorno Karabakh, occupying most of it, including the city of Shushi.
On 9 November, Russian President Vladimir Putin, RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a joint statement on the cessation of hostilities that started on 27 September.
The trilateral statement states in particular that Kelbajar will be returned to Azerbaijan by 15 November (later that period was extended by 10 days), Aghdam region by 20 November, and Lachin region by 1 December, leaving a corridor of 5 km wide, which will ensure Armenia’s connection, but will not touch Shushi.
In addition, along with the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor, Russian peacekeeping forces of 1960 troops with firearms, 90 armored vehicles and 380 vehicles and special equipment are deployed. The peacekeepers remain for five years with the possibility of automatic extension, unless the parties announce the termination of this provision six months before the expiration of the next five years.
It is also mentioned that internally displaced persons and refugees are returning to Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas, exchanging prisoners of war and exchanging other detainees, and unblocking all economic and transport ties in the region is carried out.
