"The meeting of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the United States in Washington, along with the signing of several agreements, opens a new chapter in the South Caucasus region," Armenian political analyst Areg Kochinyan said in an interview with Vesti.az, APA reports.
In his opinion, this meeting and the agreements can be regarded as a historic event because they open a new chapter both in Azerbaijan–US and Armenia–Azerbaijan relations: “There has been noticeable progress on several issues that had long been stagnant.”
Speaking about the “Trump Route,” the analyst said that the project will be carried out by an Armenian-American company (consortium) that will manage this infrastructure: “Moreover, it is no longer just about a road, but a whole network of facilities: railways, highways, gas pipelines, power transmission lines, etc. The management of this entire infrastructure will be jointly carried out by the Armenian-American company.”
Touching upon the agreements signed between Azerbaijan and the US, Kochinyan noted that a strategic partnership has been established with the signing of the agreement on the initiation of strategic relations between the US and Azerbaijan: “In fact, this is a path that Armenia had already chosen long ago — it has a strategic partnership with the US. In my opinion, the more common partners Armenia and Azerbaijan have, the better it is for the Armenia–Azerbaijan normalization process. Furthermore, the greater the Western presence against Russian influence in the South Caucasus, the higher the chances of building strong and sustainable relations between the two countries.”
“Of course, Tehran and Moscow will react negatively to this. In my opinion, Iran’s reaction has been quite restrained; they have only expressed concerns. Similar concerns arose in Tehran when the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMA) was deployed along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. At that time, the Armenian side was able to alleviate those doubts, and I believe the same is possible now,” he added.
The Armenian expert stated that if Armenia and Azerbaijan seek to establish peace and preserve their independent statehood, Russia will do everything to prevent this. “Therefore, it is necessary to find ways to coexist with the former metropolis while simultaneously building one’s own state and developing peaceful relations with neighbors.”
