Aliyev's Overt Plans Regarding the Zangezur Corridor

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has once again spoken about the non-existent "Zangezur Corridor," claiming that its implementation will transform the region into a significant transportation and trade hub. He made these comments during a meeting with participants of international construction exhibitions in Baku, where he also stated that the exhibition is crucial for the restoration of Artsakh, the rapid integration and development of the economy, as well as establishing business connections in that direction. This has been a recurrent theme in statements made by Azerbaijani authorities and officials.

It should be noted that the Armenian side has repeatedly denied discussions regarding the "Zangezur Corridor", while the Azerbaijani side continues to insist that the corridor should be realized. Just days ago, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to the announcement from the Armenian government about plans to open three checkpoints on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border to ensure connectivity between Eastern Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan. They stated that "Armenia is fabricating false pretexts" and is attempting to evade the main agreements related to connecting road and rail routes via the "Zangezur Corridor." Notably, discussions around the "extraterritorial corridor" have also been dismissed by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk, who is a member of the trilateral working group of deputy prime ministers from Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan.

Earlier in September, during his visit to Russia, the Armenian Prime Minister addressed the "corridor" topic, emphasizing that the opening of the road poses no threat to Syunik Province and Armenia, but rather will provide additional guarantees for security and stability. He clarified, "The question of the corridor is different. I want it to be clear that we will not give any corridor through the territory of Armenia to anyone; we are prepared to open roads and are ready to do so at any moment." A few days later, during a Q&A session in the National Assembly, the Prime Minister reaffirmed this position, stating, "We must concern ourselves primarily with our position, which is that we will not grant a corridor through the territory of Armenia. In this context, even if we are not the largest state in the world, the opinions of others should be secondary to us."