Pashinyan and Putin Discuss Implementation of Armenian-Azerbaijani Agreements

YEREVAN — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of Armenian-Azerbaijani agreements brokered by Russia.

The Kremlin said that the two leaders focused on “issues of ensuring security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the restoration of economic, transport and logistics ties in the South Caucasus.”

The Armenian government’s press office similarly reported that Putin and Pashinyan spoke about continuing efforts to demarcate the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and open it to travel and cargo shipments. It said they specifically discussed the work of a recently formed Armenian-Azerbaijani commission on the border demarcation.

The commission held its first meeting at a border section on May 24. Its second session is due to be held in Russia. No date has been set for it yet.

Moscow has been more actively involved in separate negotiations on Armenian-Azerbaijani transport links. A Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani commission dealing with the matter met in Moscow and Saint Petersburg last month.

The Armenian co-chair of the commission, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, said on June 28 that Baku and Yerevan have narrowed their differences on “border and customs control as well as safe passage of citizens, vehicles and cargo through roads and railways in Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

By contrast, Pashinyan said on June 27 that Baku has rejected a draft agreement on the construction of a railway that will connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave through Armenia.

“The draft document was presented by the Russian co-chair of the trilateral commission, Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk,” he said.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly demanded an exterritorial “corridor” for Nakhichevan that would exempt travelers and cargo from Armenian border controls. Yerevan has rejected these demands, saying that they run counter to the Russian-brokered agreements.