ArmInfo. After jointly assessing the condition of the Ani Bridge between Armenia and Turkey, the Armenian side has already completed the construction and technical modernization of the Margara border checkpoint on the Armenian-Turkish border, as stated by Ararat Mirzoyan, the Armenian Foreign Minister, during the ministerial session of the "3+3" regional platform.
In his opening remarks, Mirzoyan thanked the Turkish side for organizing this meeting. "Armenia attaches great importance to regional consultations and engagements. Continuous and sincere dialogue, fostering people-to-people contacts, revitalizing trade and economic ties, as well as ensuring inclusiveness in regional initiatives and projects are essential prerequisites for overcoming existing contradictions and achieving better cooperation, development and prosperity of our countries," the Armenian Foreign Minister said.
According to him, Armenia strongly believes that responsible approaches and constructive efforts of all regional actors to this end at the same time will largely contribute to achieving peace and stability in the region. "As a long-standing advocate for inclusive and equitable transport connectivity to promote trade and cooperation, Mrzoyan continued, Armenia is sincerely interested in unblocking all economic and transport communications in the region." "Our vision of enhanced regional connectivity is clearly reflected in the Crossroads of Peace initiative, which was introduced by the Prime Minister of Armenia a year ago. The key essence of this project is to develop communications among all countries in the region and beyond through the renovation, construction and operation of roads, railways, pipelines, cables and power lines. Four principles are essential for the implementation of this project: respect for the sovereignty and jurisdiction of all states, as well as equality and reciprocity. When implemented, the Crossroads of Peace can become an integral part of global logistics routes, ensuring greater speed and efficiency in the passage of goods," said Armenia's top diplomat. At the same time, Mirzoyan positively assessed the reaction of Armenia's partners to this project. "I am glad to stress that this initiative has been welcomed by many of our partners, and Iran was among the first ones. Having a mutual commitment to extend our trade and connectivity, Armenia is taking active practical steps for the construction of the North-South highway, assessing the advantages of using the Chabahar port as well as working to reciprocally reduce road fees between our countries," the minister added. He further stated that Armenia, continuing to enhance the capabilities for its own border services and customs control with neighbors, and in this regard, the RA Border Service will fully overtake the operation on the Armenia-Iran border checkpoint from January 1, 2025. In this regard, he expressed gratitude to the relevant authorities of the Russian Federation for their assistance and service throughout the years.
In the context of the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, Mirzoyan said that Armenia and Turkey have already agreed to jointly assess the technical requirements for the border crossing via the Gyumri- Kars railway. "This comes to complement the already implemented decisions on the establishment of direct flights between Armenia and Turkey and reciprocally lifting bans for air cargo trade," the Armenian minister said.
According to him, the operation of the Gyumri-Kars railway between Armenia and Turkey, along with the railway connection between Armenia and Azerbaijan, will immediately provide an effective link between the Persian Gulf, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean. "With this vision in mind, as you are all aware, we have proposed to Azerbaijan modalities of relaunching our rail infrastructure, simplifying border crossings and customs procedures and ensuring some additional security mechanisms with full respect for the sovereignty and jurisdiction of both countries," the Armenian Foreign Minister noted. In conclusion, Mirzoyan reaffirmed that Armenia is sincerely interested and has already demonstrated numerously its commitment to contributing to the development of regional connectivity and strengthening interdependence with its neighbors based on the principles of the UN Charter, namely sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of internationally recognized borders and political independence.
