VLADIVOSTOK, September 11. /TASS/. Negotiations between participants in a trilateral working group to unblock transportation links in the South Caucasus are ongoing, but the latest escalation of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan has had a negative effect on this activity, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk told reporters on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum currently underway in Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East.

"Certainly, any escalation of tensions always negatively affects our work, by stranding and delaying us; and time elapses before we can return and sit down to the negotiating table again," he said, responding to a relevant question. "The negotiations are ongoing," he assured reporters.

According to Overchuk, deputy premiers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet again to discuss unblocking transport communication in the region when conditions are ripe for such talks.

The senior Russian official said earlier, following the latest meeting of the working group, that substantial progress had been made in agreeing on how to unblock transport links between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. On January 11, 2021, the three leaders agreed to establish a working group at the level of deputy prime ministers that was charged with focusing on efforts to restore transport and economic ties in the region.

The Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) is taking place in Vladivostok on September 10-13. The slogan for this year’s forum is: On the Path to Partnership, Peace and Prosperity. The Roscongress Foundation is the event organizer. TASS is the EEF’s general information partner.