YEREVAN — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has commented on Armenia’s proposed “Crossroads of Peace” initiative, stating that its implementation will be possible only if a peace agreement is signed between Yerevan and Baku, and if relations between Yerevan and Ankara are normalized.
Lavrov made these remarks during a high-level forum dedicated to the historical southern Russian territories, where he addressed the potential unblocking of communication routes and infrastructure in the South Caucasus and other regions, including the prospects of Armenia’s “Crossroads of Peace” initiative.
According to the Russian Foreign Minister, the Armenian side presented the details of the initiative to him during his recent visit to Yerevan.
“The Armenian side is developing the ‘Crossroads of Peace’ initiative, aiming to integrate its territory and logistical capabilities into broader continental processes. In principle, we support the development of all infrastructural projects,” Lavrov stated.
He added, however, that the implementation of the initiative requires the signing of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“We sincerely wish them success in this endeavor. It is evident that progress toward the agreement was made possible thanks to several trilateral summits between the Russian Federation, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. We remain ready to continue supporting this process, provided both parties are interested,” Lavrov emphasized.
The Russian Foreign Minister also touched on the normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey, noting that overcoming conflicts and unblocking road and economic connections hindered by those conflicts will undoubtedly contribute to boosting the region’s competitiveness.
