Secretary of Armenian Security Council Armen Grigoryan highlights that Azerbaijan's demand to replace Artsakh's communication with Armenia via Lachin corridor with another route is unlawful, Grigoryan told Armenpress.

Mr. Grigoryan, Nagorno Karabakh President stated yesterday at the enlarged session of the Security Council that Azerbaijan presented its demand to organize communication with Armenia via a different route through the command of Russian peacekeeping forces. How will you comment on this statement?

Paragraph 6 of the trilateral statement of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of the Russian Federation and the President of Azerbaijan of November 9, 2020, which defines the issues related to the creation and functioning of the Lachin corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, says the following: "According to the agreement of the parties (i.e. the Russian Federation, Armenia and Azerbaijan) a plan for the construction of a new transport route through the Lachin corridor, connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh, with the further deployment of a Russian peacekeeping contingent to protect this route, will be developed in the next three years." Some work has been done in that direction in the meantime, but there is no agreed-upon plan yet. In any case, Armenia has not agreed to any plan, so Azerbaijan's demand is illegitimate.

But you announced that Armenia is starting work on the reconstruction of the M12/-Tegh-Kornidzor road, which is supposed to connect to the new route of the Lachin corridor.

Yes, this construction has already begun, but note that the trilateral statement mentions a plan to build a new route. There is no such agreed plan. The Republic of Armenia has already proposed in the trilateral format to agree and sign a plan and move forward in accordance with the agreed schedule and road map. This is exactly what the trilateral declaration of November 9, 2020 provides for.