By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has stated that the railway to the Armenian border will be completed in 2023, Trend reported on February 9.

Bayramov made the remarks during a joint press conference with Moldova's Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Nicu Popescu.

“Around 24 percent of the construction work has been completed and it is expected to be fully built in 2023. Moreover, 27 percent of the road construction was completed. This shows Azerbaijan's responsible approach to its work, while Armenia does nothing except for contradictory statements,” Bayramov stressed.

He noted that Azerbaijan is restoring the transportation routes along with the reconstruction work carried out in its liberated lands.

 “Azerbaijan launched construction of a 110-kilometer railway line to the border with Armenia back in 2021,” Bayramov added.

Furthermore, the minister underlined that Azerbaijan is ready to start the delimitation and demarcation of the state border with Armenia without preconditions.

"Speaking of the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, it is necessary to resolve the issue of the delimitation and demarcation of the state border. Azerbaijan is ready for the operation of the commission for the boundary delimitation and demarcation without any conditions, but the Armenian side is trying to impose the preconditions for the start of the commission work. Such an approach does not contribute to positive dynamics," Bayramov stated.

Speaking about the Azerbaijanis who went missing during the first Karabakh war, Bayramov said that their fate is still unknown and Azerbaijan will continue raising this issue on all platforms.

He reminded that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev once again brought this issue to the agenda during a videoconference held on February 4 with the participation of the heads of Azerbaijan, France, the EU Council, and Armenia.

"During the meeting, the prime minister of Armenia promised to cooperate in this direction. However, further events do not fit into any logic. We have witnessed the absurd statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry that no such promise has been made. Azerbaijan will continue to raise this issue. The time has come for international organizations to increase pressure on Armenia on this matter," Bayramov said.