Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia and Ambassador of India discussed  prospects of cooperation within the North-South transport corridor

ArmInfo. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan at a meeting with Indian Ambassador to RA Kishan Dan Dewal, pointing out the importance of Armenian-Indian  friendly relations, stated the readiness of the Armenian government  to raise them to a qualitatively new level.

As reported by the press service of the RA government, the parties  discussed the current events around the North-South international  transport corridor. Taking into account the program for the  construction of a road from Iran to Georgia through Armenia within  the North-South framework, and the possibility of opening a railway  connection, the Deputy Prime Minister expressed his conviction that  India can consider Armenia as a transport gateway to Russia and  Europe.

Tigran Avinyan congratulated India on becoming a non-permanent member  of the UN Security Council since 2021, and expressed confidence that  India's activities in the Security Council will contribute to  security and peace throughout the world.  Referring to the situation  in the region, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that the settlement of  the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict should be comprehensive, including the  issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, based on the realization of  the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination.  In this  context, India's position that the conflict should be resolved within  the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship through  negotiations was highly appreciated.

Avinyan pointed out the importance of the immediate return of the  Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan, without preconditions.

The interlocutors touched upon the existing cooperation in the field  of defense and the possibilities of its deepening and expansion.  The  parties agreed that the current level of trade and economic relations  does not correspond to the existing potential, therefore, it is  necessary to realize broad opportunities for cooperation in the  fields of high technologies, education, healthcare, science,  agriculture, solar energy. In this regard, the activities of the  Armenian-Indian intergovernmental commission were discussed.  The  Indian Center for Excellence of Information and Telecommunication was  cited as a good example of Indian assistance to Armenia in capacity  building, which could be expanded to focus on artificial  intelligence.  To recall, the construction of the entire  556-kilometer North-South highway, which will stretch from Bavra to  Meghri, is estimated at more than $ 2 billion. The construction of  the corridor was originally planned to be completed in 2019, but now  the deadline has been postponed for another 7-10 years. Under the  North- South program, the Armenian government has calculated  preliminary savings of $ 2.5 per hour for each passenger and $ 1 per  hour for transporting a ton of cargo. As expected by the Armenian  authorities, the program will allow the country in the future to  mitigate the consequences of the blockade by Azerbaijan and Turkey,  to play the role of a transit state in the cargo transportation of  the countries of the region, as well as to join the Black Sea Ring  Highway.