“We are convinced that peace has no alternative, because the people of our region have already suffered a lot from bloody conflicts,” Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated at the 31st session of the OSCE Council of Ministers.
The head of the Armenian foreign political department emphasized that Armenia continues its constructive involvement in the negotiations aimed at the full normalization of relations with Azerbaijan.
Mirzoyan noted that some progress has been made towards the signing of the Peace Agreement between the two countries, noting that “we have agreed on 15 of the 17 articles of the preamble and draft agreement, and if there is sufficient political will, it can be quickly finalized and signed.”
“Despite all difficulties, we are determined to continue our efforts to achieve the desired goal. In this context, the “Crossroads of Peace” channel project proposed by the Armenian side has a great potential to increase confidence, strengthen the atmosphere of trust and promote better cooperation between the countries of the region,” he emphasized.
Referring to the regulation of relations between Armenia and Turkey, the Foreign Minister said that the establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of borders can be another important contribution to peace and stability in the region.
“For this purpose, we will continue the dialogue with our Turkish partners and implement some practical steps, including a joint assessment of the technical requirements of the bridge between Armenia and Turkey, as well as the border crossing on the Gyumri-Kars railway,” he added.
After a two-year break, Rubinyan and the special representative of the Turkish side, Seydar Kilic, met Margara at the checkpoint in July.
It was at that meeting that the special representatives of the two countries agreed to assess the technical needs for the operation of the Akhurik/Akyaka railway border checkpoint in accordance with regional developments.
On October 15, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of Armenia Gnel Sanosyan announced in Istanbul that Armenia is ready to restart all channels passing through its sovereign territory, to create new ones, to ensure the safety of cargo, vehicles, people, pipelines, electric lines passing through Armenia without any discrimination, stressing , that all economic and transport infrastructure in the region should be unblocked and operate under the country’s sovereignty, jurisdiction based on equality and on the principle of reciprocity.