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YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenia doesn’t want to be an obstacle between other countries, FM Ararat Mirzoyan said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Mirzoyan was reacting to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev’s statement accusing Armenia of being a “geographic obstacle and a wall” between Azerbaijan and Turkiye. Aliyev also said that the so-called "Zangezur Corridor" must be opened.
“Armenia doesn’t want and doesn’t plan to be an obstacle, and it is not beneficial for itself. We live in the 21st century, where all possible countries seek relationships, trade, movement with all other countries. And this stems from the vital interests of the countries. We are also interested in that movement and we want to be a bridge between various states, between our neighboring countries, and not an obstacle. We want to be a link, and not a wedge. This pertains to both the countries that are geographically close to us, to literally being a bridge, and for instance to the countries that are far from us, figuratively. So, not an obstacle but a link,” Mirzoyan said.
Regarding the so-called "Zangezur Corridor", Mirzoyan said both the wording and the concept are unacceptable for Armenia.
He said Armenia is ready and interested in swiftly reopening all regional transport infrastructures if the territorial integrity of Armenia is fully respected with all components of sovereignty, including the component of ensuring direct security.