We are not breaking through the corridor through Syunik — the Russian ambassador assessed the potential of the southern gate of Armenia

On July 1, the Russian government issued an order to open a consulate general in Kapan, the administrative center of the Syunik region of Armenia. The Armenian side, including at the highest level, initially welcomed Russia's intention to establish a diplomatic mission in Kapane. At the moment, we have made significant progress through joint efforts on the issue of its opening, Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin said in an interview with Sputnik Armenia published on July 17.

In accordance with the wishes of the Armenian side, the decision of the Government of the Russian Federation provides for the opening of the Consulate General according to a simplified scheme, without the practice of concluding an agreement by exchanging notes, the head of the Russian diplomatic mission in Yerevan noted.

"We are now waiting for further steps from our Armenian partners, including taking into account the principle of parity and reciprocity adopted in diplomatic practice. As you know, in Armenia we have one Consulate General in Gyumri, while our colleagues have consular offices in St. Petersburg and Rostov-on-Don, not counting two offices in Novosibirsk and Vladikavkaz, as well as six honorary consuls — in Volgograd, Kaliningrad, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Nizhny Novgorod, Tyumen, Yekaterinburg," the diplomat recalled.

According to him, the work of Russian diplomats in the Armenian Syunik will contribute to the development of bilateral trade and economic ties, as well as in the EAEU format.

"Syunik region is a gateway for trade between Armenia and the Eurasian Union with Iran. There is a section of the international North—South transport corridor, which is important for the republic. As you know, the Russian side is contributing to the construction of this highway. The amount of financial support from the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development is $ 150 million. The Eurasian Development Bank also announced its involvement in the development of the transport framework of the Eurasian region. Russian companies and structures with domestic participation operate in the region. I think an additional impetus will be given to bilateral interregional cooperation and the strengthening of cultural and humanitarian ties. Up to 1,000 Russian citizens live in the region. There are a number of Russian language learning centers. The House of Russian Books is working in Kapan," the source said.

Answering the question of what is the difference between the Russian approach and the working methods of Armenia's Western "partners", who have recently shown interest in Syunik is genuinely interested, Kopyrkin pointed out:

"What Russian diplomats are definitely not going to do in Syunik, no matter what our detractors say, is to "spy" — unlike Western fans who travel around the region with binoculars (they meant employees of the EU observation mission stationed on the territory of Armenia, in the areas bordering Azerbaijan. — Ed.). The penetration of the "Zangezur corridor" (land communication between Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan through the territory of Armenia) is also not on the (Russian) agenda. — Ed.), which they also try to attribute to Moscow."

As you know, a trilateral working group headed by the Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan is dealing with the issues of unblocking transport and economic ties in the South Caucasus, the ambassador recalled.

Russia expects to open a consulate general in the city of Kapan, the administrative center of the Syunik region of Armenia, in the near future. This was stated by the State Secretary - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Yevgeny Ivanov in an interview with TASS published on June 20.

Earlier it was reported that the Russian Consulate General in Armenian Kapan may begin work in early 2024. The advance team to prepare for the opening of the diplomatic mission arrived in Syunik back in September last year.

For the first time about the possible opening of a Russian consulate in Syunike was announced at the end of May 2023 by Sergey Paltov, Deputy Director of the 4th Department of the CIS countries of the Russian Foreign Ministry. According to him, during the bilateral meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Moscow on May 25, the Armenian side approved this initiative.

In October 2022, Iran opened its Consulate General in Kapan.

Armenian Syunik borders Iran, and following the results of the 44-day war in Karabakh in the fall of 2020, it borders Azerbaijan. After the "one—day war" (September 19-20) in Nagorno—Karabakh, the largest city of the region - Goris - was the first to receive a 100,000-strong flow of migrants from the unrecognized republic, which was abolished on January 1, 2024.