Armenia is pursuing the establishment of interstate relations with Turkiye and Azerbaijan, as ensuring sovereignty and independence in a state of conflict is impossible.

Axar.az reports, citing local media, that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this at the SCO+ meeting.

He recalled that Armenia is pursuing a balanced policy: “If the pull of any geopolitical center of power becomes so strong that it could undermine the country’s independence, Yerevan strengthens ties with another pole to maintain balance and ensure sovereignty and independence.”

According to the Armenian prime minister, while developing relations with friendly Iran and Georgia, Yerevan is also working to establish state relations with its two other neighbors — Turkiye and Azerbaijan. He noted that “this process became more concrete after peace was established with the mediation of U.S. President Donald Trump.”

Yerevan is currently working with Baku and Ankara to open transport links, including through the TRIPP project, implementation of which on the ground will begin in the coming months.

Pashinyan said this would open up transport opportunities not only from East to West — from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean — but also from South to North — from the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea. Thus, the Armenian prime minister said, all countries in the region would benefit from the project’s implementation.