The Aim of the Turkish-Azerbaijani Tandem is the Corridor and Three Enclaves: What Armenia will Lose if This is Fulfilled – Expert

It is logical to understand why Azerbaijan and Turkey are interested in unblocking roads, as this is a historic moment for them. But what benefit does Armenia derive from this? Are these political manipulations, or is Armenia also set to gain from this process? Military expert Van Hambardzumyan spoke with Factinfo about these issues.

Notably, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan referred to the issue of unblocking roads in an interview with Public Television yesterday, assuring that the matter of the Zangezur corridor has been closed since November 9, 2020.

Van Hambardzumyan expressed a desire to believe Pashinyan's statement; however, he acknowledged that it is not uncommon for authorities to say one thing while doing another.  

“Practice shows that when the President of Azerbaijan speaks, it is closer to reality than what the Armenian leader says. Just two weeks ago, the Azerbaijan President stated that they have already achieved what they wanted,” the expert noted, adding that the term 'corridor' has always been part of their rhetoric.

When asked about Pashinyan's claim that regardless of the terminology used by Turkey or Azerbaijan, they state that the corridor should fall under Armenian control, Hambardzumyan remarked that the words used by the adversary hold significance. According to him, in international politics, every word has a connection, and people do not say anything arbitrarily.

“There are experienced diplomats in Turkey, and they do not just say anything lightly. In this case, it is not coincidental that the term 'corridor' is used. I am concerned that this corridor will be handed over to Russian border guards. Naturally, if such a thing were to happen, they wouldn’t announce that they are giving up a corridor because society wouldn't accept it,” said the expert, who is not completely convinced that the issue of the corridor is indeed resolved.

In any case, this corridor will have strategic importance for Azerbaijan and Turkey, and according to the expert, Azerbaijan’s modern history will be divided into two parts: before this corridor and after it. This will significantly strengthen both Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Moreover, Hambardzumyan believes that without the corridor, Azerbaijan will not agree to the unblocking of roads. “Nikol Pashinyan says they are interested in unblocking communications. It is clear why Azerbaijan and Turkey are interested, as this is a historic moment for them, but I do not understand what Armenia’s benefit is in this matter. The Armenian leader claims we will also have a route through Nakhichevan; but where does this route lead if on one side there is Iran and on the other side, Turkey?” the expert emphasized.

He added that the unchanged goal of Turkey and Azerbaijan is the corridor and the three enclaves; acquiring them will create a catastrophic situation for Armenia since strategic roads pass through these enclaves. “If Azerbaijan blocks these roads, the Armenian armed forces will be cut off from supply. I have reason to believe that they are already cut off because supplies come through the Goris-Kapan road to Meghri-Agarak. I doubt that the Azerbaijani side will allow armed forces and military equipment to pass through there,” concluded Van Hambardzumyan.