Yerevan accused Baku of torpedoing negotiations to unblock regional  communications

ArmInfo. The Armenian Foreign Ministry reacted to the threats of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, voiced at a meeting with residents of the Gonagkend  village of the Guba region. Thus, as the press service of the RA MFA  reports, the statement of Ministry reads, in particular:

"According to Azerbaijani media outlets, during the meeting with  residents of the village of Gonagkand in the Guba region on December  6, 2021, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev demanded that Armenia  should accept the terms of Azerbaijan and announce a specific date  for the opening of the so-called "Zangezur corridor". The President  of Azerbaijan also accused Armenia of demonstrating tortuous  approaches regarding the issue of opening the roads and  communications.

Regarding the above-mentioned statements the Foreign Ministry of  Armenia underlines the following;

1. The agreements on opening the roads and communications between the  Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian  Federation are enshrined in the Statements of November 9, 2020,  January 11, 2021, and November 26, 2021, where there is no  obligation, condition or agreement for the Republic of Armenia to  provide Azerbaijan with a corridor or a road within corridor logic.

2. The Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020, underlines the  agreement of the parties to unblock all economic and transport  communications in the region. The same statement also underlines that  the Republic of Armenia guarantees the security of transport  communication between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the  Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic.

3. According to the Statement of January 11, 2021, for the  implementation of the 9th provision of the Statement of November 9,  2020, on unblocking all economic and transport communications in the  region, a tripartite working group chaired by the Deputy Prime  Ministers of the Republic of Armenia, the Russian Federation and the  Republic of Azerbaijan has been formed.

4. The 3rd provision of the Statement of January 11, 2021, stipulates  that for the implementation of the main activities, Co-Chairs of the  working group will approve the list of expert subgroups of those  fields, which will include representatives of the relevant  authorities of the Parties and officials of the organizations.

5. The 4th provision of the Statement of January 11, 2021, stipulates  that the working group shall submit for the Parties' approval at the  highest level the list and timetable of activities aimed at restoring  or building new transport infrastructure necessary for organizing,  implementing and providing the safety of international traffic  through the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, as  well as the transportations carried out by the Republic of Azerbaijan  and the Republic of Armenia through their respective territories.

6. During the first meeting on January 30 2021, the tripartite  working group decided to form two expert subgroups, one for the  issues of the automobile, railroad, combined transportation, and the  other one for the insurance of transportation, including security,  border, customs, sanitation, livestock and phytosanitary, as well as  other issues.

7. The Republic of Armenia has repeatedly stated at the highest  levels, that it is interested in unblocking all transport and  economic communications in the region with the understanding that the  western regions of Azerbaijan will receive rail and road  communication through Armenia with the Nakhichevan Autonomous  Republic (thus Turkey), while Armenia will receive road communication  through Azerbaijan with Russia and railroad communication with Russia  and Iran.

8. On November 5, 2021, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian  Federation, the Co- Chair of the Tripartite working group Alexei  Overchuk stated during the meeting with the Prime Minister of Armenia  Nikol Pashinyan that the search for solutions within the tripartite  working group is based on the following principles: the sovereignty  of the countries through which the roads will pass will be maintained  and that the types of control at the border crossing will be carried  out on a reciprocal basis. Earlier, Alexei Overchuk stated that  no  issue related to "corridor" is being discussed within the tripartite  working group.

9. On the occasion of the anniversary of signing the Trilateral  Statement of November 9, 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the  Russian Federation circulated an informative material, which clearly  stated that all participants of the trilateral working group agreed  on the term that all transportation roads that will be unblocked and  reestablished, will operate respecting the territorial integrity and  sovereignty of the countries through which they will pass.

10. On November 26, 2021, the meeting of the Prime Minister of  Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the President of the Russian Federation  Vladimir Putin and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was held  in Sochi, Russia, during which the principles enshrined in the  provision 9th of the aforementioned Statement were reiterated.  Based  on the above-mentioned circumstances, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs  of the Republic of Armenia states:

A) The content of the statements of the President of Azerbaijan  opposes the Statements of November 9, January 11 and November 26,  contradicts the agreements reached within the Tripartite working  group and the Sochi meeting, pursues destructive and provocative  objectives, threatens the territorial integrity and sovereignty of  the Republic of Armenia, 

B) The Republic of Armenia is committed to all its above-mentioned  commitments and is ready for the speedy implementation of the  agreements,

C) The list of measures and the timetable for the process of opening  and restoring the regional communications - the roads and railways,  is being discussed within the framework of the Tripartite working  group, the activities of which are being undermined by the  provocative rhetoric of Azerbaijan. 

The Republic of Armenia draws the attention of its main partner in  the sphere of security - the Russian Federation, the Collective  Security Treaty Organization, the UN Security Council, the OSCE Minsk  Group Co-Chair countries and the international community to the fact  that official Baku continues its blatant threats of use of force  against the sovereignty, territorial integrity of Armenia through  warmongering statements, violating fundamental principles of  international law, including the UN Charter, as well as endangering  regional and global security.

The Republic of Armenia urges the Republic of Azerbaijan to refrain  from provocative rhetoric and actions, as well as not to hinder the  implementation of the agreements on unblocking all economic and  transport communications in the region," the RA MFA concluded.  

Ysterday, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, at a meeting with  residents of the Gonagkend village of the Guba region, once again  scorned victory in the course of the 44-day autumn large-scale  aggression against Artsakh.

"And Armenia saw, and the whole world saw, no one was able to stop  us. During the war there were those who wanted to stop us, there were  quite influential circles, but they could not stop us," Aliyev Jr.  said.

Then, the permanent Azerbaijani leader began to openly blackmail  Armenia, stating that "let them tell us the date when the so-called  Zangezur corridor will open (a corridor through the Syunik region of  the RA - ed. note), and then there will be no problems." At the same  time, he assured that Azerbaijan has achieved, is achieving and will  achieve what it wants.

"It would be nice if this issue was resolved constructively through  negotiations and mutual understanding," he said.