Lavrov says process of unblocking communications in South Caucasus has advanced

YEREVAN, August 31. /ARKA/. The process of unblocking transport infrastructure in the South Caucasus has made progress, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today at a press briefing with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Moscow.

He recalled that a trilateral group set up by Russia, Armenia and Russia, which is chaired by their deputy prime ministers deals with all the issues relating to the reopening of trade, economic and transport ties in the South Caucasus.

Lavrov said that apart from this trilateral group there are also Armenian and Azerbaijani border delimitation and security commissions, which work rhythmically and have had already two meetings.

According to him, the parties have made significant progress in reaching agreements.

"I hope that in the nearest future these agreements will be formalized and it is particularly important that this work is conducted not in a vacuum or in isolation but in close coordination with broader transport projects, including the North-South corridor, in which our Iranian partners are also interested. I think the process is very advanced in practical terms," the minister said.

As for its global and regional importance, according to Lavrov, it lies in building logistical chains that will be independent of countries, which show inappropriate attitude towards their partners' interests in the region.

The trilateral working group is co-chaired by the Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan Mher Grigoryan, Alexey Overchuk and Shahin Mustafayev respectively. The last meeting of the working group was held on June 3. Their co-chairs met also on June 16 within the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. -0-