YEREVAN. Sept 20 (Interfax) - The unblocking of regional communications and the beginning of rail traffic to and from Russia will unlock new opportunities for Armenian economic development, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.
"We have keen interest in the opening of communications as a way to end the siege Armenia has been under for over 25 years. Hopefully, the work done [at the trilateral commission chaired by deputy prime ministers of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan] will bear practical solutions," Pashinyan said at a meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk in Yerevan on Monday.
According to the Armenian government press service, Pashinyan thanked Overchuk for the well-governed activity of the trilateral commission.
"It is crucial to us to finally have rail traffic to and from Russia [through Azerbaijani territory], which will open new vistas for our economic development and integration into the EAEU [Eurasian Economic Union]. This will also help raise the efficiency of our membership in the EAEU," Pashinyan said.
Baku took control of seven districts adjoining Nagorno-Karabakh following the end of the hostilities in the Karabakh conflict zone last fall.
It was agreed during negotiations to unblock transport communications in the region, including those connecting Azerbaijan to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.