MOSCOW. May 25 (Interfax) - The issue of unblocking transport links will be discussed at a trilateral meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The summit is due to be held on Thursday after Putin's separate meetings with each of the other two leaders. The meeting with Aliyev has already taken place. The Russian president is now holding talks with Pashinyan.
"We have now discussed all this once again with Premier Nikol Pashinyan one-to-one; we will still have a chance in the trilateral format to talk over unblocking transport links. These are very important, sensitive issues," Putin said at the meeting with Pashinyan.
"I am certain that if eventually, despite all the complexities, we solve these issues, then this will undoubtedly benefit both Armenia and Azerbaijan, and [it will benefit] not just these two countries but also the entire region, because many countries are interested in this," Putin said.
This will be helped by normalization between Yerevan and Baku in all areas, including in the political sphere, from the point of view of ensuring security for the region's inhabitants, he said.
"You know our position on the trilateral statement regarding the Lachin Corridor, we have never changed it," Putin said.
For his part, Pashinyan said: "Armenia is interested in unblocking regional communications. We are ready to begin unblocking all transport and economic links and communications on the basis of sovereignty and the jurisdiction of our country."
Armenian border guards are "ready to ensure normal transit through Armenia for all means of transport [and] railroad transport," he said.
"We expect Azerbaijani railways to also be opened for freight and trains from Armenia through Nakhchivan, through Azerbaijan to Russia, [and] to Iran. We expect this issue to be solved based on parity, on the basis of the countries' sovereignty and jurisdictions," Pashinyan said.