Remarks by Permanent Representative Nairi Petrossian Participated in the 14th International Black Sea Symposium

02 December, 2025

14th International Black Sea Symposium “Black Sea: Approaching a tipping point?”

Panel 2: Perspectives from the BSEC countries

Mr. Nairi PETROSSIAN, Permanent Representative of Armenia to BSEC

Organization, Acting Chair of the ICBSS Board of Directors

Mr. Moderator,

Distinguished Director General Mitrakos,

Dear colleagues and friends,

At the outset, a word of gratitude goes to the colleagues and friends from the ICBSS who worked hard to organize this Symposium. I greatly appreciate this chance to address such a distinguished audience.

The Black Sea region has always been a crossroads of cultures, commerce, and geopolitical interests. It is an essential link between Europe and Asia. An enhanced interaction here can foster interconnectivity, sustainable growth, and mutually beneficial partnerships, significantly changing the geopolitical and economic landscape.

Having said this, we of course know that realization of this vision requires peace and stability. While the broader Black Sea region faces profound challenges, primarily due to the war in Ukraine, Armenia and Azerbaijan has recently embarked on a journey toward lasting peace.

The trilateral meeting held at the White House in Washington D.C. on 8 August this year resulted in the initialing of the Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the signing of a Joint Declaration by the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Azerbaijan, and the President of the United States as a witness. This firmly anchors us for an open political dialogue, as well as trade and investments opportunities.

We agreed upon acknowledging each other's sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of borders and reciprocal respect for national jurisdiction. We agreed upon those general principles in the frames of which the transport infrastructure should be unblocked between the two countries. The path forward is a process that requires patience, care, addressing practical matters and building mutual trust. Armenia will engage in good faith to transform our region into an area of constructive cooperation.

Being at the crossroads, Armenia can play a crucial role in the chain connecting Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. The unblocking of transport communications will foster mutually beneficial transport links — including Armenia’s “Crossroads of Peace” project and its integral part – the TRIPP, which is an acronym for the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity. By strengthening this chain, we can advance mutual trust, interdependence and sustainable growth. As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen rightly noted, “opening the borders of Armenia with Azerbaijan and Türkiye will be a game-changer.”

It had been with this vision in mind that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia came up with the initiative of the “Crossroads of Peace.” It aims at the development of connectivity between Armenia, its immediate neighborhood but meanwhile it goes far beyond it. We are confident that the full opening of transport communications and unlocking of the transit and trade potential of the region will generate new opportunities for economic growth and people-to-people contacts, thus contributing to wider stability and prosperity.

These initiatives reflect Armenia’s vision of transforming our region into a bridge between markets and cultures, founded on peace and cooperation. It is with this vision in mind that Armenia counts on the support of all nations from the wider Black Sea region to the “Crossroads of Peace” initiative and the TRIPP connectivity project.

Mr. Moderator,

We are now trying to institutionalize the peace, going through the difficult path of reconciliation. For that matter, I would advocate for a three-pronged approach.

Firstly, we shall promote the idea of regional reconciliation and cooperation in our societies. Each of us knows the hardships we have gone through. It should be compelling, because with the peace agenda we have adopted, we are trying to address and prevent such hardships in the future.

Secondly, we shall review and renew our commitment to overcoming the challenges of landlockedness. This may sound paradoxical, as BSEC is an organization built around a Sea. However, Armenia and a number of other BSEC Member States face the challenge being landlocked. Those States too should get a chance to advance

concrete pathways toward resilience, enhanced connectivity, and inclusive growth, to overcome geographical constraints, which impede their ability to fully integrate

into global trade, diversify economies, and attract much-needed investments. Translating this ambition into tangible results will require hard work and solid improvements in many areas, including scaled-up financing, strengthened global partnerships and the removal of infrastructure bottlenecks. Particular attention should be directed toward trade facilitation, digitization, increased foreign direct investment, debt relief, and sustainable development financing.

Thirdly, we should put energy transformation at the core of our climate strategy. Armenia is expanding renewable energy generation at an unprecedented pace to substantially increase the share of green energy in our national mix. At the same time, we continue to rely on nuclear energy as a safe and stable component of our clean energy mix, providing reliable carbon-neutral electricity and enhancing energy security. However, nature, climate, and land are interconnected parts of one indivisible system, and fragmented approaches are no longer sufficient. Responding to the scale of the crisis requires coherence, partnerships and trust. Armenia stands ready for it, as our fragile mountain ecosystems are facing the combined pressures of climate change, land degradation, and biodiversity loss.

I thank you, Mr. Moderator.

MFA RA
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