NA Vice Speaker: We hope agreement with Azerbaijan to be signed and  ratified as soon as possible

ArmInfo.Armenia has always attached great importance to its partnership with NATO, including participation in peacekeeping missions and strengthening  democratic institutions, as stated by Vice Speaker of the National  Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan during the opening  of the 108th Rose-Roth Seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in  Yerevan on September 22.

According to him, this is the fourth time the seminar has been held  in Armenia. It focuses on regional security, the armed forces and  defense, as well as effective parliamentary oversight of the armed  forces.  "Cooperation with NATO is part of Armenia's balanced foreign  policy, and we are ready to continue this cooperation aimed at  strengthening regional and global security," the Vice Speaker noted.

 Rubinyan also presented the latest developments in the South  Caucasus. According to him, in the context of normalizing relations  with Azerbaijan, the first document between Armenia and  Azerbaijan-the Regulation on Joint Activities of Demarcation  Commissions-was signed on August 30, 2024. It has gone through the  internal ratification procedure established by the legislation of the  parties and is now in effect.  The first 12-kilometer section of the  state border has already been delimited and demarcated by the  commissions, and Yerevan hopes that this process will continue on  other sections of the border in the near future.

In 2023, the Armenian government initiated the "Crossroads of Peace"  project to ensure regional connectivity based on the principles of  state sovereignty, jurisdiction over infrastructure passing through  their territories, equality, and reciprocity. In terms of unlocking  regional infrastructure, the project envisions a significant increase  in the capacity of cargo transportation, pipelines, power lines, and  internet cables through Armenia. In the current situation, as the  Deputy Speaker noted,  countries are seeking new transport and  economic opportunities, Armenia and the South Caucasus could become a  new transit hub between East and West, North and South.

He also discussed relations with Turkey, emphasizing that normalizing  relations with Ankara remains one of Yerevan's foreign policy  priorities. "Our dialogue with the Turkish side continues, and we are  convinced that this is a historic moment, and the opportunity to  build good-neighborly relations must not be missed," the Deputy  Speaker concluded.