Aliyev seeks international sponsors to promote ‘Zangezur Corridor’

In an interview with CNN Turk, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev again spoke about the so-called Zangezur corridor, the creation of which is one of the main goals of the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem. The Turkish-Azerbaijani side is trying to link the life of the corridor with various international actors, trying to present it in the sphere of their interests. In particular, back in July, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu visited “Central and South Asia: Regional Cooperation, Challenges and Opportunities” conference in Tashkent, he called on China and the countries on the Silk Road to take steps to deepen cooperation by creating transport corridors. Çavusoglu said that after the second Artsakh war, there was an opportunity for transport communication through the “Zangezur Corridor”. According to the Turkish Foreign Minister, this corridor is extremely important for the settlement of the situation in the Caucasus. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated in an interview with Azeri AZTV after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on July 20 that the positions of Moscow and Baku coincide on the Nagorno Karabakh and Zangezur corridors.

“We discussed the post-war situation in the region, including the Zangezur Corridor and the post-conflict situation. We do not disagree on approaches. We, Russia and Azerbaijan, believe that the war is over, the conflict is over,” Aliyev said. Apparently, Aliyev did not receive enough support from Russia in the creation of the corridor and now he has decided to look for it in the EU. In particular, in a conversation with CNN Turk, Aliyev said that the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” could become a new transport project in Eurasia. “We have already put it forward as an initiative. And we also called that corridor “Zangezur Corridor”. It has already entered the international vocabulary. I know that the European Union has a very positive attitude to this issue. During the recent visit of Council of Europe President Charles Michel to Baku, we had a wide-ranging exchange of views on this issue; they, of course, also strongly support this project,” said Aliyev.

However, no matter how much Azerbaijan is trying to internationalize its own “Zangezur Corridor” thesis, it still fails. The corridor logic of unblocking regional communication channels is not on the international agenda. That no international document has been signed by the Republic of Armenia regarding the creation of the “Zagezur Corridor”. The trilateral statement signed by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on November 9, 2020 contains no provision for any corridor passing through the sovereign territory of Armenia connecting Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan. One corridor is mentioned in the trilateral statement, it is the Lachin corridor connecting Artsakh with Armenia.