Russian Deputy PM Overchuk: Significant progress made in coordinating unblocking of transport communications between Baku, Yerevan
MOSCOW. June 5 (Interfax) - Considerable progress in coordinating the unblocking of transport communications between Baku and Yerevan was noted at a meeting of the deputy prime ministers of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said on Saturday.
"The meeting took place in a constructive environment. The parties were pleased to note that considerable progress was made in coordinating of modalities of the unblocking of transport communications between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia. In particular, a common understanding of the implementation of specific steps to restore and organize railroad traffic on the Yeraskh-Dzhulfa-Megri-Goradiz route was reached," the Russian government's Telegram channel quoted Overchik as saying.
"The leaders of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, and the Russian Federation will be informed about the outcomes of the talks," Overchuk said. The parties agreed to continue efforts as part of the trilateral working group.
Overchuk's press secretary Andrei Matveyev said on Friday that a trilateral working group chaired by the deputy prime ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia was meeting in Moscow. The meeting was convened on the instructions given by the three leaders in Moscow last week.
Overchuk said in response to Interfax's question on May 31 that the meeting would address the technicalities and character of border crossings between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
"There will be passport, customs, and all other types of control that exist on international borders," Overchuk said
The parties "have come very close to a point where we can say that we can resume railroad services between western Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan," he said.
"Armenia is also getting an opportunity for unblocking traffic to Russia via Nakhchivan, Syunik, and Azerbaijan and other EU countries, and it could also reach Iran," Overchuk said.
On May 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks in Moscow with Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that the deputy prime ministers would meet the following week to finalize remaining details relating to the unblocking of transport communications in the South Caucasus.