Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian working group resumes meetings
YEREVAN, August 17. /ARKA/. A trilateral working group set up by the presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia and Armenian prime minister tasked to work out practical modalities of restoring transport links between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and chaired by deputy ministers of the three countries, had a meeting in Moscow on August 17, the Russian government said.
“Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Mher Grigoryan and Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexei Overchuk resumed the work of the trilateral Working Group. At the meeting held on August 17 in Moscow, the parties considered the prospects for the restoration of transport communications in the South Caucasus region and discussed the work to be carried out within the framework of the statement of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the President of the Russian Federation dated January 11, 2021, " it said.
According to the January 11 statement, Armenia is to open rail and road links between the Nakhichevan exclave and the rest of Azerbaijan through its southeastern province of Syunik.
Armenia should be able, for its part, to use Azerbaijani territory as a transit route for cargo shipments to and from Russia and Iran.
On September 27, 2020, Azerbaijani armed forces, backed by Turkey and foreign mercenaries and terrorists, attacked Nagorno-Karabakh along the entire front line using rocket and artillery weapons, heavy armored vehicles, military aircraft and prohibited types of weapons such as cluster bombs and phosphorus weapons.
After 44 days of the war, on November 9, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a statement on the cessation of all hostilities. According to the document, the town of Shushi, the districts of Agdam, Kelbajar and Lachin were handed over to Azerbaijan, with the exception of a 5-kilometer corridor connecting Karabakh with Armenia.
A Russian peacekeeping contingent was deployed along the contact line in Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor. -0-
