Artsakh former FM considers grain supplies to Armenia through  Azerbaijan as part of  Armenian authorities` election campaign

ArmInfo. The current events in Armenia, including those related to grain transit through Azerbaijan, should be viewed not in the context of unblocking roads, but as part of the country's election process. Former Foreign  Minister of Artsakh, former Ambassador-at-Large, and orientalist  Karen Mirzoyan  made this statement at a press conference in Yerevan.

According to the former minister, it is too early to talk about  opening a new transport route to Armenia, given that there is still  no information regarding tariffs, and also because this route is  completely new. "The statements being made also raise doubts, as we  must understand that they are most often aimed at influencing public  opinion in a particular country, rather than reflecting reality,"  Mirzoyan noted.

The diplomat believes that, in reality, the country is being offered  a model where it imports goods but essentially produces nothing  itself. "Meanwhile, importing goods requires funds, which we can only  obtain through further loans. It's obvious to everyone what this  policy leads to. Over the past seven years, our external debt has  doubled, and if I'm not mistaken, today every Armenian citizen owes  approximately $3,500-4,000 to creditors. If we continue in the same  direction, our external debt will only grow," Mirzoyan clarified.

In this regard, he emphasized that today the country should focus  less on importing goods and more on developing export routes to  reduce production costs and enhance competitiveness in the global  market.  "Only then will it be possible to talk about achievements.  Meanwhile, regarding this road, it's no secret that Georgia imposes  rather high tariffs on freight transit through its territory. In this  context, I perceive current events not as a roadblock being  unblocked, but as part of the pre-election process in Armenia.  Incidentally, even Azerbaijan and Turkey, where they repeatedly state  the need to reproduce the current government in Armenia, are openly  supporting this notion," Mirzoyan concluded.