YEREVAN — There appears to be some confusion in Armenian media regarding Armenia’s official position on the unblocking of regional transport routes, with some outlets perceiving contradictions in statements made by Armenian officials, wrote Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Nazeli Baghdasaryan in a post on her Facebook page.
“This confusion is understandable to some extent, as the issue involves many nuances that become even more complex when associated with certain legal terms such as lease, concession, right to develop, or outsourcing. Each of these terms can carry different meanings depending on what exactly is being referred to,” Baghdasaryan explained.
“To clarify matters for members of the press, I would like to reiterate that the Republic of Armenia has never discussed, is not discussing, and will not discuss any options for transport routes passing through its territory that are incompatible with the country’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and jurisdiction.”
“On the contrary, within the framework of preserving Armenia’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and jurisdiction, the Republic of Armenia is not only open to discussing various options for the operation of regional transport routes, but is also interested in reaching an agreement on one of those options.”
“Officials who state that Armenia has not and will not engage in discussions are clearly referring to proposals that would compromise Armenia’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, or jurisdiction,” she added.
“Meanwhile, those representatives who acknowledge ongoing discussions are referring to options that fall within the bounds of Armenia’s sovereignty, such as development rights and other mechanisms mentioned by Prime Minister Pashinyan during his July 16 press conference.”
“Of course, Armenia’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and jurisdiction cannot be delegated. However, business management of infrastructure such as railways, pipelines, or power lines can be outsourced. In fact, the maintenance and management of roads in Armenia has always been and continues to be contracted out to private companies. The quality of such management is a separate issue, but it is unrelated to the current topic,” Baghdasaryan concluded.
