ISTANBUL

The Armenian premier praised Tuesday’s decision by Azerbaijan’s president to lift all restrictions on the transit of goods from his country to Armenia, calling it an “extremely important step” toward regional peace and cooperation.

“President (Ilham) Aliyev announced that Azerbaijan is lifting restrictions on the transit of goods through its territory. This is an extremely important announcement, and I want to express my appreciation for this step,” Nikol Pashinyan said Wednesday at the 5th Silk Road International Forum in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.

He hailed Aliyev’s decision as a direct implementation of the peace declaration between Azerbaijan and Armenia signed this August in Washington, DC.

The agreement, Pashinyan said, underscored the need to open transport routes between the neighboring countries based on mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

What once seemed impossible is now becoming reality, he said, noting that grain is already being imported to Armenia from Kazakhstan via Azerbaijan and Georgia.

He said, quoting the August declaration: “We reaffirmed the importance of opening up communications between the two countries for domestic, bilateral and international transport to promote stability, peace and prosperity in the region.”

Pashinyan also expressed gratitude to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze for hosting the Silk Road event, saying it was an honor to attend for a second time, adding that the last time he attended, in 2023, “I presented our government’s Crossroads of Peace project … which later received wide international support.”

He also thanked the leaders of Kazakhstan and Georgia for facilitating the trade.