Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has stated that weapons, ammunition, and dangerous chemical substances will not be transported via the TRIPP route. He also mentioned that there is an agreement with Azerbaijan on this issue. The statement has brought back discussions regarding the rules for using the route and the control mechanisms for the cargo to be transported.
Speaking to Modern.az on the matter, Hikmət Babaoğlu, a member of the Milli Majlis Defense, Security, and Anti-Corruption Committee, stated that no country will be able to use the TRIPP route for transporting military cargo:
“TRIPP is an international corridor, and uniform transit rules are established in international corridors. Therefore, the same rules apply to all participating countries. Undoubtedly, since the Zangezur corridor is intended as an economic route, no country will be granted a separate status for the transportation of military cargo.”
The deputy noted that there are more important issues than Ararat Mirzoyan's statement:
“Because there are more pressing issues. First, the TRIPP route needs to be launched so that the issue of what cargo can or cannot be transported can be clarified later. Ararat Mirzoyan's statements of this kind are aimed at diverting attention from the issue of opening the route and absolving Armenia of responsibility by making statements. If this continues, the TRIPP route may not open. Both sides of the TRIPP route – from Salamməlik and from Ağbənd – are in Azerbaijan's hands. It would be better if Ararat Mirzoyan talked about when the implementation of the project will begin.”
