Pashinyan: Armenia somewhat alienated from region due to blockade

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Republic of Armenia has been somewhat alienated from the region due to years long blockade, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a Security Council meeting on Tuesday, March 30. He said the meeting will predominantly focus on the matter of opening communications in South Caucasus.

"For example, we have only one land route connecting us with our strategic partner (Russia - Ed.), which is a seasonal thing and largely depends on weather conditions, which in turn results in many challenges, including security ones," Pashinyan said.

Among new communications being discussed in the South Caucasus are possible road and rail routes through the territory of Azerbaijan to connect Armenia to Russia. New routes could also connect the Azerbaijani Autonomous Republic of Nakhichevan with the rest of the country, for which a road is set to be built through the territory of Armenia.

Pashinyan said after the completion of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), the security environment has undergone significant changes around Armenia and Artsakh.

"We must be able to assess Armenia's position and approaches to how we are going to face new challenges, what opportunities there are that should be used for the sustainable and normal development of Armenia and Artsakh," Pashinyan said.

According to him, the elimination of Armenia's blockade must not be achieved at the expense of the country's vital interests, but Yerevan should also be ready for "a certain collaborative logic".