Azernews.Az

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Presenting the principles of Armenia’s foreign policy at a recent conference, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan touched on unsatisfactory relations between Armenia and China. He said that Armenia should consider more active involvement in global infrastructure programs based on the regional agenda.

So far, Armenia is only declaring its readiness to get involved in China’s global Belt and Road initiative, while other countries, including Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, have already proposed mutually beneficial projects to participate in this initiative. These countries are actively involved in the operation of the revived Silk Road.

Armenia, which is in a geopolitical impasse, does not have so many opportunities, therefore, a sensible government would do everything to normalize relations with its neighbors and abandon the aggressive rhetoric against them.

Some Armenian experts propose to actively build the North-South highway, which fully fits into the logic of the Chinese initiative. Along with other companies, Chinese contractors are also participating in the construction of the highway.

However, at the current pace, this road will be ready only after decades, while the future contour of the revived Silk Road is being formed today. Another project, the construction of the Iran-Armenia railway, is turning more and more into a pipe dream.

Meanwhile, a recent trip of the Armenian authorities to China clearly showed the absence of this country on the emerging Belt and Road map. Armenia, unlike its neighbors, has never been identified in the context of the Chinese initiative, and the Chinese have not shown any signs of Armenia's actual involvement in this project.

While Turkey is thinking about the restoration and modernization of ancient caravanserais, while Indian engineers are preparing to include their railway network in the Belt and Road, while Kyrgyzstan is striving to become the center and transshipment point of food trade on the revived Silk Road, Armenia is still missing in freight traffic reports as part of Belt and Road initiative.

One of the last chances for Armenia to express itself will appear on September 30-October 1, when an international conference on the transit potential of the Eurasian continent will be held in Yerevan as part of a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.

It is expected that the conference will discuss current challenges for the development of the transport and logistics network of the continent, the implementation of existing large-scale infrastructure projects and the prospect of introducing new programs, as well as the development of digital corridors in Eurasia.

However, with a high probability, everything will end again with declarations of intentions and readiness of the Armenian side and no prerequisites for denying this fact are yet to be expected.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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