ArmInfo.The Azerbaijani side is not claiming a road i with same status as the Lachin corridor in negotiations with Armenia.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated this on October 18 at a joint press conference with his Norwegian counterpart Anniken Huitfeldt, commenting on the statement of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that "Azerbaijan insists that " Lachin corridor and the Zangezur corridor (through Syunik region of Armenia - ed. note) must have the same status."
"During negotiations the Azerbaijani representatives are not claiming and are not proposing to have a road that would have the same regulations as the Lachin corridor. If Mr. Cavusoglu is introducing this component in negotiations from his side, then it would be better if he says it on his own behalf. Azerbaijan doesn't say such thing, " Mirzoyan said. At the same time, he expressed his conviction that rightly, none of the parties can claim such thing, since the regulations are defined by a tripartite statement of November 9, 2020 at the level of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, and then also by a statement of January 11, 2021.
"Both of the statements I mentioned above are public and everyone can read them. There is the Lachin corridor, which is the road of life for Nagorno-Karabakh, and there is a point related to the unblocking of transport and economic communications. And in this context, Azerbaijan speaks of a new communication with Nakhijevan," said the head of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, recalling that official Yerevan has repeatedly expressed its position on this issue.
Mirzoyan stressed that our position has not changed - all roads, including the active roads, and presumably also the roads which will be built, must function under the sovereignty and legislation of the countries through which they pass. "In my subjective opinion, there is some progress in this issue. I am optimistic and believe that the negotiations in this direction could be successfully completed in the future," the Armenian Foreign Minister said.
Speaking about the Armenian-Turkish dialogue, Mirzoyan recalled that Yerevan has always openly and publicly expressed its position. "We are interested in the success of the dialogue. And any meeting that can contribute to the successful completion of the dialogue is welcomed. I have never been against such meetings. Another thing is that during these meetings the parties should take sincere and serious steps to establish diplomatic relations between countries and the opening of borders," the Armenian minister said in response to a question about a possible meeting of the RA and Turkish Foreign Ministers, as the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry said earlier.