12:53,

YEREVAN, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenia must retain authority to exercise customs and border control in case of unblocking of regional connections, a senior lawmaker said on Tuesday.

Asked to comment on Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan’s statement that Armenia will exercise full border control on its side in case of unblocking, Civil Contract Member of Parliament Arman Yeghoyan said that Armenia must have the authority to determine which vehicle, which cargo and how much of any given cargo can enter its territory.

Regarding clause 9 of the 2020 November 9 trilateral statement, which says that Russian border guards shall exercise control over transport connections, Yeghoyan said: “There are Russian border guard posts along the Armenian-Iranian border as well, and in the customs checkpoint, as well as in other parts. And now we must differentiate two issues from one another – a road functioning under or outside Armenian jurisdiction? The Republic of Armenia has said that there won’t be any roads functioning outside of its jurisdiction in its territory.”

“The trilateral statement does not question Armenia’s jurisdiction over its own territory. Even the National Assembly can’t pass a law that would limit Armenia’s jurisdiction over any of its territory,” Yeghoyan said.

Armenia’s unchanged position is that roads functioning in the territory of Armenia must be under Armenia’s jurisdiction. Technical nuances are topics for separate discussions, according to Yeghoyan.

“When a vehicle enters Armenia, Armenia must know for 100 percent what that vehicle is carrying, how much goods it is carrying, when it entered Armenia and when it exited. The Republic of Armenia must know this for 100 percent, secondly, Armenia must have the jurisdiction to determine which vehicle, which cargo, and what quantity of any given cargo can enter the Republic of Armenia. The Republic of Armenia controls its borders, the type and quantity of the goods crossing these borders and the roads in its territory,” Yeghoyan said.

Discussions on how the roads will be unblocked are now underway, the legislator added, noting that the remaining issues such as who specifically will observe the surveillance cameras or who is going to sit in the office are all technical issues.

Azerbaijan wants minimal Armenian control, the lawmaker said. “But this isn’t a matter of their desire. It’s up to us, because international law and order exists. It is up to any state to decide what rules and procedures to apply and manage any road on its territory. And Armenia has said that jurisdiction will not be given up,” Yeghoyan said.