Hikmet Hajiyev: Baku will continue to make efforts to establish lasting peace in the region

Azerbaijan will continue to make additional efforts to establish lasting peace in the South Caucasus and strengthen the future of peace on the ground.

As BAKU.WS reports with reference to Report, this was stated by Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev, addressing representatives of the diplomatic corps.

According to him, three years ago the last chapter of the Karabakh conflict was closed, after which Azerbaijan and Armenia entered a new era of peace.

Hajiyev noted that in August of this year, the first anniversary of the initialing of the peace agreement and the agreement on establishing interstate relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia was marked.

"For Azerbaijan, the conflict is over. We are learning to live in conditions of peace and are moving in this direction," the Presidential Assistant emphasized.

Hajiyev also noted that peace should mean not only the absence of confrontation, but also the strengthening of trust, restoration, and creation.

He reported that the recent meeting of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia took place in a constructive atmosphere. The sides agreed to continue bilateral engagement to advance the peace agenda, strengthen trust, as well as develop trade relations and transport connectivity between the two countries, Hajiyev said.

He also touched upon the development of the TRIPP project.

"I am pleased to note positive signals regarding the development of the TRIPP project. We are grateful to our American partners for their full commitment to its implementation. We hope that the construction work will be completed in the near future," he said.

According to Hajiyev, last year representatives of the diplomatic corps traveled the transport route from Baku to Zangilan and familiarized themselves with the progress of construction work.

He reported that the construction of the railway and highway [on the territory of Azerbaijan] is practically completed, and the entire project is planned to be completed by the end of this year or during the next year.

"Now we are directing our efforts toward the implementation of the Nakhchivan segment of this project. We are also receiving positive signals from partners in the European Union and other states that express readiness to support our efforts in the restoration and reconstruction of Nakhchivan," the Presidential Assistant said.

According to him, the implementation of the project will provide new transport connectivity not only for the region but also for a broader part of the Eurasian continent, strengthening the East-West routes and the Middle Corridor.

"This will change the entire configuration of our region and at the same time ensure Armenia's integration into regional processes," Hajiyev emphasized.