Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan published an article in Armenpress news agency, which is prevented below.

"The issue of regional connectivity is the one most frequently exploited or escalated by Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan says that Armenia is not fulfilling its obligations, citing the obvious fact that connection routes between Armenia and Azerbaijan are closed.

Firstly, it should be emphasized that Armenia has no unilateral obligations. Both sides have undertaken to open all transport and economic routes to each other. Today, no transport or economic routes of Azerbaijan is open to Armenia or to those passing through Armenia, no road, no railway, no pipeline, no electricity line, no cable.

All roads of Armenia are open to Azerbaijan. Back in 2022, the Government of Armenia circulated a draft decree on opening three border points on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, which would enable Azerbaijan’s cargo and passenger vehicles to enter the territory of Armenia and to travel, for example, to Nakhchivan and Turkiye.

These decrees were not adopted only because of Azerbaijan’s declinatory position and can be adopted by the Armenian government within a week or two. Of course, there are no infrastructures for access to Nakhchivan, and they need to be built, but this too is something that can be done rather quickly.

But right now, purely in terms of the readiness of the physical infrastructure, for example, cargo trucks can enter the territory of the Republic of Armenia via the Lachin-Kornidzor section through the Kornidzor checkpoint, travel on our roads to the Armenia-Turkiye border, and enter Turkiye through the Margara checkpoint. The same goes for the opposite direction. The physical infrastructure necessary for such transit cargo transportation is ready now, and what remains to be done is to adopt a de-jure decision. We are ready to adopt such a decision, provided there is interest from Azerbaijan and Turkiye.

We will ensure the safety of cargo transportation, but if there is a psychological difficulty for Azerbaijani drivers and trucks, this cargo transportation can be organized using Turkish trucks, which have always traveled and are currently too actively traveling on Armenian roads. Cargo trucks of other countries can do this, too.

However, I wish to once again officially state that Armenia has never undertaken any obligation, written or oral, or agreed or even hinted that the provision of safety on its own territory, including safety for international or Azerbaijani passenger or cargo transportation, should or could be outsourced to another country. There has been no such thing, there simply is no such thing. On the contrary, Armenia has undertaken to guarantee the safety of passage, which we are ready to do.

Armenia has never undertaken any obligation, written or oral, or agreed or even hinted that it might agree to any limitation of its sovereignty, jurisdiction, or territorial integrity. Including on the issue of communication from western Azerbaijan to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic via the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

Communication from western Azerbaijan to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic via the territory of the Republic of Armenia is a subtopic within the topic of regional communication channels, and Armenia has never posed an obstacle here, either.

Moreover, we have been and remain utmost creative and flexible in this matter, too. In 2022, addressing Azerbaijan’s concerns, we proposed to outsource to an international specialized organization, based on the principle of reciprocity, the front function of citizen passport control and cargo customs and other controls during border crossing. Azerbaijan has not agreed.

Now, taking into account Azerbaijan’s claim that due to the long-standing conflict, Azerbaijani citizens will avoid passing through the Republic of Armenia border and customs control, we have proposed in this phase to start the opening of communications from railway cargo transportation in the Zangelan-Meghri-Ordubad direction and back, and in the Yeraskh-Ordubad-Meghri direction and back. Moreover, we have proposed in writing an option that does not undermine the sovereignty, jurisdiction, and territorial integrity of either side. If Baku’s concern is to ensure reliable cargo transportation with Nakhchivan and back, that issue is resolved. All that remains is for Azerbaijan to say yes. The construction of the Nrnadzor-Karchevan railway in the territory of Armenia will take some time. Another short piece of the railway should also be built in the Yeraskh-Nakhchivan border section, but this is necessary for the Armenia-Armenia and Azerbaijan-Turkiye railway connection, and this work can be performed quickly, too.

With the same principle, we are ready to provide transit of pipelines, electricity lines, and cables from Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan. It is unclear why these proposals are being rejected by Azerbaijan. I hope it is not for creating a false pretext for escalation.

Azerbaijan also declares that if Armenia does not provide a road to Nakhchivan, they will secure the western Azerbaijan-Nakhchivan connection through the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This is fine, we are not against it, and it is a matter of the relationship between Iran and Azerbaijan, and for them to decide.

But also to be clear, we affirm that the Republic of Armenia is ready to provide passage from western Azerbaijan to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic under the same legal conditions as those offered by Iran.

In response to this, Azerbaijan says that the passage should be unhindered. In other words, is passage through Iran hindered? After all, we are saying that we are ready to provide the same passage under the same legal conditions.

On the principle of reciprocity, we are ready to implement some simplifications of transit procedures and to introduce automated mechanisms. So why is Azerbaijan rejecting these constructive proposals of ours?

My conviction is clear: the opening of all regional economic and transport communications, including from western Azerbaijan through the territory of the Republic of Armenia to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and back, from Republic of Armenia's Meghri to Yeraskh through the territory of Azerbaijan (Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic) and back, is fully prepared for, and only Azerbaijan’s agreement is needed for its implementation".

NIKOL PASHINYAN
Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia