The Government of the Republic of Armenia

Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan participated in the expert conference entitled "New Regional Realities and the Crossroads of Peace".

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mnatsakan Safaryan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Armenia Mehdi Sobhani, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to the Republic of Armenia Nilakshi Saha Sinha, experts from Armenia, Georgia, Iran, India and Turkey also participated in the conference.

Arayik Harutyunyan delivered opening remarks, in which he particularly said,

"Dear conference participants,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I am glad to welcome you in Yerevan within the framework of the "New Realities and the Crossroads of Peace" expert conference.

Nowadays, the principles and rules of international relations known to all of us are being undermined, and trust and optimism in cooperative security continue to decline. However, Armenia believes in the desire and ability of the peoples of our great region to achieve lasting peace, to resolve all wounds and conflicts by peaceful means.

In the modern era of interconnectedness and interdependence, solving the challenges facing humanity requires joint and unified efforts, and Armenia is also ready to contribute to the process of overcoming the existing challenges and establishing lasting peace in our region. Historically, Armenia has always been at the crossroads connecting the north to the south and the west to the east, with political, economic, and cultural characteristics arising from it. Even today, based on its geographical location, Armenia is ready to serve as a connecting node for such interaction.

Being a landlocked country, blockaded by two of its neighbors for nearly 30 years, Armenia well acknowledges the importance of fully functioning regional transport hubs.

In the negotiations on the unblocking of transport infrastructure in the South Caucasus, we are guided by the principles of comprehensive, inclusive and non-discriminatory use of regional routes, full respect for the sovereignty and jurisdiction of countries, and the vision of building a prosperous future for all parties in the region.

It is with this realization that the Government of Armenia developed and presents the concept of "Crossroads of Peace" as an important component of the peace agenda adopted by us. The core meaning of that concept is the development of regional communications by building new roads, railways, pipelines, power lines, repairing and operating old ones.

The aim of the project is to restore the important role of the region in the context of North-South and East-West global interaction. There is no doubt that the new opportunities for the movement of goods and people will in turn provide additional guarantees of security and stability, as well as serious prerequisites for economic growth for all countries in the region.

Armenia is ready to initiate practical steps to bring the "Crossroads of Peace" to life. I would also like to note that the Armenian government expects the active support of all international partners in the implementation of this important regional initiative.

Dear attendees,
Your Excellencies Ambassadors,

I am full of hope that an active dialogue will take place during the conference on regional problems and ways to solve them. In the recent period, when the newly emerging challenges in international relations are joined by still unresolved issues, such discussions become more important. I believe that this conference can become a successful platform, and it should be continued by inviting participants from other countries of the region. But the representativeness that exists here already inspires serious optimism.

Let me once again welcome this conference and wish the participants successful discussions.

Thank you."

Next, the participants of the conference were presented with the "Crossroads of Peace" project of the Government of Armenia.