Armenian Foreign Ministry’s reaction to Aliyev’s “Zangezur Corridor” claims

Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement with regard to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s renewed claims on the so-called “Zangezur Corridor,” and his threats to use force.

According to Azerbaijani media outlets, during the meeting with residents of the village of Gonagkand in the Guba region օn December 6, 2021, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev demanded that Armenia should accept the terms of Azerbaijan and announce a specific date for the opening of the so-called “Zangezur corridor”. The President of Azerbaijan also accused Armenia of demonstrating tortuous approaches regarding the issue of opening the roads and communications.

Regarding the above-mentioned statements the Foreign Ministry of Armenia underlines the following;

1. The agreements on opening the roads and communications between the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation are enshrined in the Statements of November 9, 2020, January 11, 2021, and November 26, 2021, where there is no obligation, condition or agreement for the Republic of Armenia to provide Azerbaijan with a corridor or a road within corridor logic.

2. The Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020, underlines the agreement of the parties to unblock all economic and transport communications in the region. The same statement also underlines that the Republic of Armenia guarantees the security of transport communication between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic.

3. According to the Statement of January 11, 2021, for the implementation of the 9th provision of the Statement of November 9, 2020, on unblocking all economic and transport communications in the region, a tripartite working group chaired by the Deputy Prime Ministers of the Republic of Armenia, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan has been formed.

4. The 3rd provision of the Statement of January 11, 2021, stipulates that for the implementation of the main activities, Co-Chairs of the working group will approve the list of expert subgroups of those fields, which will include representatives of the relevant authorities of the Parties and officials of the organizations.

5. The 4th provision of the Statement of January 11, 2021, stipulates that the working group shall submit for the Parties’ approval at the highest level the list and timetable of activities aimed at restoring or building new transport infrastructure necessary for organizing, implementing and providing the safety of international traffic through the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, as well as the transportations carried out by the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia through their respective territories.

6. During the first meeting on January 30 2021, the tripartite working group decided to form two expert subgroups, one for the issues of the automobile, railroad, combined transportation, and the other one for the insurance of transportation, including security, border, customs, sanitation, livestock and phytosanitary, as well as other issues.

7. The Republic of Armenia has repeatedly stated at the highest levels, that it is interested in unblocking all transport and economic communications in the region with the understanding that the western regions of Azerbaijan will receive rail and road communication through Armenia with the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (thus Turkey), while Armenia will receive road communication through Azerbaijan with Russia and railroad communication with Russia and Iran.

8. On November 5, 2021, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, the Co-Chair of the Tripartite working group Alexei Overchuk stated during the meeting with the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan that the search for solutions within the tripartite working group is based on the following principles: the sovereignty of the countries through which the roads will pass will be maintained and that the types of control at the border crossing will be carried out on a reciprocal basis. Earlier, Alexei Overchuk stated that  no issue related to “corridor” is being discussed within the tripartite working group.

9. On the occasion of the anniversary of signing the Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation circulated an informative material, which clearly stated that all participants of the trilateral working group agreed on the term that all transportation roads that will be unblocked and reestablished, will operate respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the countries through which they will pass.

10. On November 26, 2021, the meeting of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was held in Sochi, Russia, during which the principles enshrined in the provision 9th of the aforementioned Statement were reiterated.

Based on the above-mentioned circumstances, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia states:

A) The content of the statements of the President of Azerbaijan opposes the Statements of November 9, January 11 and November 26, contradicts the agreements reached within the Tripartite working group and the Sochi meeting, pursues destructive and provocative objectives, threatens the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia,

B) The Republic of Armenia is committed to all its above-mentioned commitments and is ready for the speedy implementation of the agreements,

C) The list of measures and the timetable for the process of opening and restoring the regional communications – the roads and railways, is being discussed within the framework of the Tripartite working group, the activities of which are being undermined by the provocative rhetoric of Azerbaijan.

The Republic of Armenia draws the attention of its main partner in the sphere of security – the Russian Federation, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the UN Security Council, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries and the international community to the fact that official Baku continues its blatant threats of use of force against the sovereignty, territorial integrity of Armenia through warmongering statements, violating fundamental principles of international law, including the UN Charter, as well as endangering regional and global security.

The Republic of Armenia urges the Republic of Azerbaijan to refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions, as well as not to hinder the implementation of the agreements on unblocking all economic and transport communications in the region.