No:086/25, Response by Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the local media inquiry regarding the article by Prime Minister of Armenia on communications published in Armenpress news agency
Question: On 4 March, in his article about the communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Armenpress news agency, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated that Armenia has not unilaterally undertaken any obligations concerning the opening of communications, unlike Azerbaijan, Armenia is ready to open transportation and communication routes, and Azerbaijan has not yet responded to Armenia’s proposals on the matter noting that Azerbaijan is using this issue as a pretext to create tensions. We would like to hear your position on the Armenian Prime Minister’s views.
Answer: It is well known that Armenia, having occupied Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized sovereign territories for nearly 30 years, and causing the blockade of Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, has not made a positive contribution to the real negotiation process for the opening of communications in the four years following the 44-day Patriotic War.
Although Armenia is aware of its written and signed obligations regarding the opening of communications connecting Azerbaijan’s western regions with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, it has yet to fulfill them.
Overall, Armenia putting forward proposals for essentially unnecessary, complex to execute, and practically lengthy routes serves to divert attention away from the process and obligations.
If the Armenian side is genuinely interested in the opening of communications in the region, it should not evade its obligations and must take practical steps in line with the new regional realities to facilitate the opening of communications.