"Unlocking transport ties in region tol start with restoration of railway" - Overchuk

Baku/19.06.23/Turan: The unblocking of transport ties in the region will start with the restoration of the railway, which will run along the Yeraskh-Julfa-Meghri-Goradiz route, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said.

"We held a meeting in the format of a trilateral working group of the Deputy Prime Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation. It declares that the unblocking of transport ties in the region will begin with the restoration of the railway, which will run along the route Yeraskh - Julfa - Meghri - Goradiz, and, based on respect for the sovereignty of the parties, specifies the main approaches to the order of crossing the border between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia. Neither party has questioned that the individual sections of this road will be under the jurisdiction of the country in whose territory they will be located. So Azerbaijani law will apply to this road in Azerbaijan and Armenian law in Armenia," Overchuk told TASS.

There is no alternative to peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, he continued, "and the best way to achieve peace is to give people the opportunity to interact peacefully, to build a common road, which then will carry people and goods, normal life and trade will begin, and gradually old grievances will fade into the background.

"The biggest problem is trust. It is because of this that negotiations are moving slowly. Eventually ordinary people - Azerbaijanians, Armenians, citizens of other countries - will take the road. How will they interact with each other when crossing the border, how safe will their safety be when travelling on the territory of another state? This is currently the main question, which we want to answer together to make sure that nothing bad happens to these people in another country. And of course we are all influenced by what is still happening on the border. It would be much easier to find solutions if the shooting stopped," Overchuk further said.

According to him, a draft document has been formed and is almost agreed upon, "although the main issue: how ordinary Azerbaijanis and Armenians will interact with each other during ordinary border crossing, still needs to be worked out.

Asked when unblocking will happen, he replied: "No one will give a definite answer to this question yet. When we come to an agreement and when the relevant document is signed. Then we can talk about the restoration of the railway, which existed in Soviet times, and which was used by both Armenians and Azerbaijanis. -06В-