Armenia-Azerbaijan accords are “very positive development” for region’s future – diplomat

Armenian Ambassador to Greece Tigran Mkrtchyan has described the Washington accords with Azerbaijan as a “very positive development” for the future of the South Caucasus.

The ambassador was asked during a live interview on Thessalia TV about various matters, including the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process.

Below is an excerpt from the interview:

“On August 8th, the White House mediated the signing of a declaration on the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The President of the United States also co-signed as a witness under this declaration.

“It is a very important and historical declaration, which went along with the pre-signing — or initialization — of the peace agreement, pre-signed by the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the presence of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Azerbaijan, and President Trump.

“The Washington agreements are significant for the near future and for normalizing relations. Of course, it’s important to have the final agreement signed without any preconditions. We are working on that and maintaining active dialogue with the Azerbaijani side.

“It’s a very positive development for the future of the South Caucasus, and there is now an opportunity to advance relations on a peaceful and cooperative track. The leaders bear responsibility for that, and as of now, it is only hope-inspiring. We’ll see what the future brings.

“I would also like to add that the declaration includes a very important clause on the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,” which will be established in the southern part of Armenia and will be part of a wider unblocking of communication routes between Armenia and its neighbors.

“This fits perfectly into the project that the Armenian government has proposed — Crossroads of Peace.

“This project aims to make Armenia and the region an area of opportunities and economic prosperity, shifting away from the old image of a region of conflict, from the formerly known vision that this was an area of conflict. So now we'll hopefully have an opportunity to advance those relations peacefully and properly.”