YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received today Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk and Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, the PM’s Office said, adding that the meeting was also attended by Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan.

“I am happy to see you here, I want to state once again that we highly appreciate the work done so far within the frames of the trilateral working group dealing with the opening of regional communications, vehicle, railway communications. You know how important this topic is for us because when we achieve concrete solutions, it will change the situation in the region not only from economic, but also political, psychological and security terms. You know how much we are interested in having a concrete and positive result over it. We continue working intensively. During my official visit to Moscow, this has been one of the key topics that was discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And I am very glad that we have fixed our common approaches and common positions over this.

As for the further work concerning this topic, this topic also has a technical part, which, I think, is not so difficult. But in order for us to have concrete and effective solutions, we need to solve all the legal issues, the procedural matters which will not only help us to quickly come to concrete solutions, but also these solutions will become more substantiated and stronger, if it can be said so. And the mechanism will work effectively in the long-run. I am sure that we all are inclined to such work. I once again want to thank for the work done. I hope and I am sure that this work will be effective in the future as well, it’s just necessary to come to concrete solutions as soon as possible”, the Armenian PM said in his welcoming remarks.

In his turn the Russian deputy PM Alexei Overchuk thanked PM Pashinyan for the warm welcome and said: “Indeed, quite recently we have met with you in Moscow where you were on an official visit, you visited Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. A whole series of meetings both with Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Mishustin and Valentina Matviyenko have taken place. Our profile ministries received instructions based on the results of those meetings, and we are working on their direction. And I want to mention a very important moment that you drew a focus during your visit, that is to completely lift all the coronavirus-related restrictions. Now the operational staff made such a decision, all restrictions will be lifted from May 16 and it would be possible to travel both by roads and planes. In other words, all these issues, which were delaying the contacts between our countries, are being lifted today. Moreover, we have adopted with you decisions about many issues relating to trade, which are very important in the context of today’s topic. We are ready to continue the cooperation and develop it with the same spirit also in the future.

Today, of course, we would like to talk about the activities of the trilateral working group. We fully share your assessments on the establishment of transportation communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Truly, when this takes place, it will completely change the entire transportation configuration of the region. And really new opportunities will open so that the economy of Armenia will develop and will receive an additional impetus, and Armenia’s role will significantly increase connected with it. In this respect, of course, we are making maximum efforts both with Mher Grigoryan and Shahin Mustafayev in order to solve these issues. And as you said, the legal and procedural solutions, of course, are very important”.

During the meeting issues relating to the bilateral cooperation agenda between Armenia and Russia, as well as the activity of the Armenia-Russia-Azerbaijan deputy prime ministerial trilateral working group were discussed.

The prospects of restoring transportation communications in the South Caucasus region and the further process of the ongoing works within the frames of the January 11 statement of the Armenian Prime Minister, the Russian President and the President of Azerbaijan were touched upon.