On 10 June, the European Parliament’s standing rapporteurs on Azerbaijan and Armenia – Željana Zovko and Traian Băsescu and the Chair of the Delegation Marina Kaljurand issued a joint statement regarding the construction of a new highway between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. 

“As a matter of principle, we support projects that foster regional cooperation, connectivity and people-to-people contacts in the Eastern Neighbourhood. That said, the decision to build this highway has been taken without the consent of the competent authorities of Azerbaijan – in violation of international law. In addition, it could symbolically entrench the illegal occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and of its surrounding districts. Therefore, we very much deplore this initiative as it does not help… create conditions conducive to trust, peace and reconciliation,” stood in the statement. 

The statement came after the new de-facto President of Nagorno-Karabakh Arayik Harutyunyan announced that the construction of the new highway would kick off soon.

In July 2019, the de facto authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh announced the construction of a 150-kilometer road connect Kapan, Armenia with Hadrut in Karabakh, passing through the Gubadli and Jabrayil regions. The former de facto President of Karabakh Bako Sahakyan has previously described the prospect of the third road as a means of cementing Armenian control over the territories through which it passes.

Armenia and Karabakh are already connected via two highways. They pass through occupied Azerbaijani districts which were taken by Armenian forces during the 1991-1994 war. One was built in 1997 and stretches for more than 80 kilometers from the Karabakh capital Stepanakert\Khankendi to the southeastern Armenian town of Goris, while the other is a 115-kilometer-long road which runs from the northern Karabakh town of Martakert to Vartenis in eastern Armenia.