Zakharova: The issue of unblocking transport communications in the South Caucasus is not overseen by the speaker of the Armenian parliament

ArmInfo. The leaders of  Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan have instructed the deputy prime  ministers of their respective countries to oversee the unblocking of  transport communications in the South Caucasus, as stated by the  official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria  Zakharova, during a weekly briefing on March 27. Zakharova's  statement was made in response to comments by the speaker of the  Armenian parliament, Alen Simonyan, who stated that Armenia is not  currently considering the option of rejoining trilateral format of  negotiations with the Russian Federation on  unblocking  communications.

She recalled that in Armenia this issue is not handled by the  aforementioned statesman, but by a completely different one. The  diplomat suggested asking Yerevan  a clarifying question to see if  they have switched roles in terms of handling this dossier. "And if  they haven't changed, then we should probably contact the person in  charge for this area," Zakharova added, mentioning that she does not  want to comment on this person's statements, because it is not within  his jurisdiction.

Further, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry mentioned  that in order to address this crucial issue of unblocking  communications, the leaders of the three countries established a  specialized working group to unblock transport and economic ties in  the South Caucasus. She added that a lot of work had been done within  its framework.

"Yes, we see the destructive influence of Western countries, and we  also see that the position of the Armenian authorities sometimes,   raises questions for us,, and sometimes often. And cooperation in the  group has stalled because of these two factors, as we have repeatedly  mentioned," the Russian diplomat added. According to her, Moscow is  confident that the earliest possible resumption of full-fledged work  within the framework of this group will not only contribute to the  restoration of the transport and logistics system of the South  Caucasus, but will  also allow it to be included in larger schemes  for the transportation of goods from Europe to Asia and back. This  will  ensure the further socio-economic development of both Armenia  and the entire region as a whole. "However, if Yerevan's position has  changed, it is their sovereign right, and it would be more  appropriate to inform us about it," she said.