BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 15
Trend:
A railway line from Russia to Armenia may be opened. This line can only pass through the territory of Azerbaijan, President, Victorious Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev said making a speech after raising the Azerbaijani flag in the village of Gulabir, Trend reports.
“We have major plans. We have launched the restoration work. We will try to complete mine clearance as soon as possible and assess the damage caused. In parallel with this, infrastructure projects have already started. The foundation of the Horadiz-Zangilan-Aghband railway was laid in Horadiz today. This railway is of great strategic importance. First of all, because it will be of great importance both for the travel of citizens to the liberated lands and for cargo transportation. On the other hand, this railway will extend to Nakhchivan. The joint statement signed on 10 November contains a special provision on the creation of the Nakhchivan corridor. This work has already started. I am sure that this project, being carried out on our initiative, will be implemented. After a long break, Azerbaijan and its integral part of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic will be connected with each other by rail, and thus our strategic, economic, and political goals will be met,” the head of state said.
“The overall significance of the Patriotic war lies in the fact that we have liberated our lands from occupation, expelled the enemy from our lands, and also restored the territorial integrity of the country. We have demonstrated to the whole world the power of our people and state, have shown the unwavering spirit of the people. At the same time, having taken practical steps to achieve strategic goals related to the future of our country, we signed important documents. The joint statement signed on 10 November ensured the return of Lachin, Kalbajar and Aghdam districts, of course. We returned these lands without a single shot being fired. At the same time, it is this statement that secures a connection of Azerbaijan with its integral part of Nakhchivan. Also, this railway infrastructure will extend to Turkey, thus creating a second railway network connecting Azerbaijan and Turkey. Three and a half years ago, we put into operation the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. This was also a historic achievement. We connected Azerbaijan and Turkey by rail for the first time in history. And now a second railway will be built and all countries of the region will be able to take advantage of it. They are very interested in the construction of this railway as well. It is possible to say that countries of our region have a positive assessment of this project,” the Azerbaijani president said.
“We said that transport projects play a special role in the long-term development of the region, ensuring stability and reducing military risks to zero. All the countries participating in them will only benefit from that. Azerbaijan connects with Nakhchivan and Turkey. At the same time, a railway line from Russia to Armenia may be opened. This line can only pass through the territory of Azerbaijan. In addition, a railway communication will appear between Russia and Iran through the territory of Nakhchivan. There will be a railway connection between Iran and Armenia. A railway link will be created between Turkey and Russia. In other words, all countries of the region will only benefit from this,” the head of state said.