Armenia PM gives insight into Brussels meeting with Azeri leader

PanARMENIAN.Net - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday, December 16 that at a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Brussels the sides have reaffirmed their agreement to build a rail route from Armenia to Azerbaijan through Nakhijevan.

According to Pashinyan, the Yeraskh-Julfa-Ordubad-Meghri-Horadiz route will provide Armenia with land communication with Russia, and Azerbaijan with Nakhijevan.

The Prime Minister added that the agreement was reached as a result of discussions of the trilateral working group on the opening of regional communications, which is co-chaired by the Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia.

Pashinyan noted that the agreement has now been reaffirmed during trilateral meetings in both Sochi and Brussels. The Prime Minister stressed that the railway will operate in accordance with internationally accepted border and customs rules, on the principle of reciprocity, under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the countries.

The Azerbaijani side has on multiple occasions raised the question about a "corridor" through the southern Armenian province of Syunik that would connect Nakhijevan to the rest of Azerbaijan. The Armenian side, however, has repeatedly denied being involved in negotiations for the provision of a corridor to Azerbaijan, stressing that they have only agreed to unblock transport communications in the region.