Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, addressing the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum in the Georgian capital today, said the opening of transportation links in the South Caucasus will have a positive ripple effect on the societies of all three countries in the region.

“When countries begin to cooperate with each other in the field of transport and communications, what effect does it have? It leads to the effect of economic growth, it leads to an increase in budget revenues, it leads to the effect of making state expenditures and increasing the level of well-being of societies, and suddenly the countries understand that they are mutually interested in each other's stability, territorial integrity, sovereignty, and the ability of countries to make independent decisions,” Pashinyan said.

The Armenian prime minster pointed to the interconnected histories of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, arguing that the recent history of the region proves that warfare only leads to suffering and losses.

“I think that in 1991, we did not learn enough from our history of 1918-1920 and did not understand why we gained independence together, lost independence together. One of the reasons for this is that we did not appreciate the importance of each other's independence, sovereignty and statehood for each other. It seemed to us or our ancestors that we could gain greater benefits by fighting each other. Meanwhile, history has shown that in fighting each other, we can only suffer losses and lose the most important thing - the state, independence,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan added that despite the conflicts and contradictions between Armenia and Azerbaijan historically, their destinies are intertwined to a certain degree and it is this realization that has led Yerevan and Baku on the road to future peace and cooperation.

“This does not mean that the history of our conflict has disappeared, that it has simply been erased in one day. No, there cannot be such a thing. It means something else; that we have begun to notice a little more that the countries of the South Caucasus, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, have common interests. And there is a possibility that these common interests have strategic significance, Pashinyan said.

He said that while Armenia is “politically ready” to ensure the transit of cargo from the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic to the main part of Azerbaijan and vice versa through the territory of Armenia and railway transit between Turkey and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, as well as between Turkey and the main part of Azerbaijan, it will take two to three years to build new infrastructure and to modernize what exists today.

Pashinyan concluded his remarks by saying he is confident that since peace has been established in the South Caucasus, the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia will have the wisdom and foresight to separately and collectively work to use this historic opportunity to ensure the prosperity and well-being for all.