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"Zangezur corridor" (Template:Lang-hy, Template:Lang-az) is a name used for a proposed transport corridor that would connect the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic to the rest of Azerbaijan via the Syunik region of Armenia. The term has been increasingly used by Azerbaijani authorities since the end of 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, while Armenia has steadily objected to it, asserting that 'corridor logic' deviates from the ceasefire statement trilaterally signed at the end of that war. The terminology, the potential routes and the modes of transport connections as well as the risks they could create have been points of contention between Azerbaijan and Armenia since that agreement was signed. Rail freight transport is the only mode of transport communication that is currently deemed practical by officials from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia.

Background

In Soviet times, two railway connections used to link Nakhichevan ASSR with the main territory of Azerbaijan SSR. The shorter line that passed via Syunik region was built earlier in 1941, whereas the line via Ijevan and Qazax was constructed in the 1980s as an alternative route, connecting Yerevan to Baku. Both lines were abandoned since 1992 due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Since 1989, Azerbaijan has blocked shipments of materials to both Armenia and Karabakh, countered by Armenia's blockade of Nakhichevan. Nakhchivan has suffered significantly from the economic blockade by Armenia as did the landlocked Armenia suffer from an economic blockade imposed by Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey. Air and land connections between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic have had to be made through Turkish or Iranian territory.

In 2002, Azerbaijan unsuccessfully proposed to Armenia to swap total Azerbaijani control over a corridor that would connect Nakhichevan to Azerbaijan proper run along the Iranian border for the formal transfer of strip of land around the town of Lachin that links southern Armenia to Karabakh, to Armenia. At this time, "Meghri corridor" term has occasionally been used.

Current status of transport links

2020 ceasefire agreement

There is currently no transport communication between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The article 9 of ceasefire agreement signed on November 9th, 2020 at the end of 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war stated:

All economic and transport connections in the region shall be unblocked. The Republic of Armenia shall guarantee the security of transport connections between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in order to arrange unobstructed movement of persons, vehicles and cargo in both directions. The Border Guard Service of the Russian Federal Security Service shall be responsible for overseeing the transport connections.

In December 2020, Russia signaled its desire to connect Nakhichevan to the rest of Azerbaijan through a railway link that would go through Armenia. Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia created a trilateral working group in order to unblock communications in the region. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that the activity of this group will serve the implementation of confidence-building measures and resolution of humanitarian problems, and that the interests of Turkey and Iran are taken into account during trilateral consultations. On 31 December 2020 Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev announced plans to build a railroad line from Horadiz to Zangilan, from where it would use trucks to move goods to Nakhchivan and Turkey, suggesting a potential future transport link between Zangilan and Nakhchivan through Syunik. According to Aliyev, the corridor could eventually become a part of the International North–South Transport Corridor, connecting Iran to Russia via Azerbaijan and Armenia, while Armenia would get a railway link to Russia, Iran and potentially to Turkey.

2021 "corridor" controversy

In January 2021 trilateral meeting of Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the issue of opening economic, commercial and transportation links and borders, announcing that a joint working group under the chairmanship of the deputy prime ministers of these countries is formed to work on it. In February 2021, a dispute arose around a clause in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement that provided for unblocking all economic and transport connections in the region, including that between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared that the ceasefire agreement contained a special provision on the establishment of the “Nakhichevan corridor”. Armenian government and opposition rejected this claim emphasizing that the ceasefire agreement did not contain any provisions for establishing such “corridor”. In April 2021, Aliyev announced that Azerbaijani people would return to what he described as "West Zangazur" and Azerbaijan's "historic lands" within the borders of Armenia, but that Azerbaijan does not have territorial claims to any foreign country. However, a week later, he warned that Azerbaijan would establish the "Zangezur corridor" by force if Armenia would not accede to the creation of the corridor. The Armenian foreign ministry responded that the country would "take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity." In May 2021, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that while Armenia is not willing to discuss 'corridor logic’, it is keen on opening transport links as it means direct railway communication with Iran and Russia.

A joint statement by the European Parliament DSCA Chair Marina Kaljurand and Standing Rapporteurs on Armenia, Andrey Kovatchev, and Azerbaijan, Željana Zovko, among other things, condemned the statements made by the Azerbaijani side: "To de-escalate the situation, it is of utmost importance that inflammatory rhetoric ceases immediately. In this context, we condemn in particular recent statements by Azerbaijani representatives regarding so-called ‘West Zangezur’ and referring to the territory of the Republic of Armenia as Azerbaijani ‘ancestral land’. Such statements are highly irresponsible and threaten to undermine regional security further."

The Shusha Declaration signed by presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey on 15 June 2021 included a passage on the "Zangezur corridor", and both Aliyev and Erdogan stressed the importance of its implementation in the following joint press conference. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia condemned their joint visit to Shusha, calling it a provocation.

French diplomat Jonathan Lacôte objected to the use of term "corridor", comparing Azerbaijan's use of the phrase "Zangezur corridor" to the phrase Danzig Corridor used by Nazi Germany.

Notes

1. The concept has also been referred to by press and media as the "Nakhchivan corridor" (Template:Lang-hy, Template:Lang-az), the "Meghri corridor", (Template:Lang-hy; Template:Lang-az) and the "Syunik corridor" (Template:Lang-hy; Template:Lang-az). In Azerbaijan, the variation "Zangazur corridor" is used as well.

References

1. ^ Baghirov, Orkhan (15 January 2021). "The Nakhchivan corridor will boost connectivity in the Caucasus". Euractiv.
2. Bayramova, Aynur (3 February 2021). "Azerbaijani, Turkish officials to discuss Nakhchivan corridor". Report Information Agency.
3. "Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan on "Meghri corridor" plan: Not beneficial to us now to discuss it as "corridor"". News.am. 28 May 2021.
4. Yakish, Yashar (24 January 2021). "Moscow summit on Karabakh". Azerbaijan In Focus.
5. ""The November 9 statement makes no mention of Zangezur, Syunik corridor" - PM holds consultation in Syunik Marz administration". Prime Minister of Armenia. 21 April 2021.
6. Hovsepyan, Gayane (20 May 2021). "Pashinyan says Baku seeking to influence June parliamentary election". Hetq Online.
7. Ismayilova, Vafa (31 May 2021). "President Aliyev: Zangazur corridor to boost connectivity with Turkey". AzerNews.
8. "Azerbaijani President: when Zangazur corridor opens, it will open new opportunities for all the countries of the region". Azeri Press Agency. 20 May 2021.
9. "Южные ворота Карабаха. Что происходит в Гадруте после войны". РИА Новости. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
10. "Armenia proposing restoration of rail route through Azerbaijan to Russia". Eurasianet. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
11. Minorities at Risk Project, Chronology for Armenians in Azerbaijan, 2004, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/469f3866c.html
12. "Turkey says to build gas pipeline to Azeri exclave". Reuters. 9 August 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
13. Peuch, Jean-Christophe (2 July 2002). "Azerbaijan: Experts Ponder 'Leaks' On Possible Territorial Swap Over Karabakh". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
14. ^ "Statement by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and President of the Russian Federation". Kremlin.ru. President of Russia. 10 November 2020.
15. Asbarez staff (10 December 2020). "Moscow Wants Link Between Nakhichevan and Baku Through Armenia". Asbarez.
16. "Nagorno-Karabakh status remains an issue for the future, Lavrov says". TASS. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
17. Reuters Staff (31 December 2020). "Azerbaijan plans railroad to Armenian border to ship goods to ally Turkey - president". {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
18. "President Ilham Aliyev attended "New Vision for South Caucasus: Post-Conflict Development and Cooperation" international conference held at ADA University". AZERTAC. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
19. "Press release by Alexei Overchuk following a meeting of the trilateral working group co-chaired by deputy prime ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Armenia and Russian Federation". The Russian Government. 30 January 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
20. ^ Asbarez staff (15 February 2021). "Yerevan Refutes Aliyev's Claim of Establishing Nakhichevan Corridor". Asbarez.
21. "Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan on "Meghri Corridor": Turkey, Azerbaijan pursue far-reaching goals". NEWS.am. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021. According to them, it will mean the restriction of Armenia's sovereignty in the corridor area and the establishment of their powers on the corridor; this is inadmissible.
22. "What's the future of Azerbaijan's "ancestral lands" in Armenia? | Eurasianet". eurasianet.org. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
23. "President Ilham Aliyev attended "New Vision for South Caucasus: Post-Conflict Development and Cooperation" international conference held at ADA University". AZERTAC. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
24. "Ilham Aliyev`s interview with Azerbaijan Television". Official web-site of President of Azerbaijan Republic. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
25. "Yerevan to provide no corridor for Baku, if transport restrictions persist, says Pashinyan". TASS. 19 May 2021.
26. Marina KALJURAND, Andrey KOVATCHEV, Željana ZOVKO, European Parliament (30 July 2021). "Joint Statement by DSCA Chair and EP Standing Rapporteurs on Armenia and Azerbaijan on the deadly clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link)
27. "In Karabakh, Turkish and Azerbaijani leaders cement alliance". Eurasianet. 16 June 2021.
28. "Leaders of Turkey, Azerbaijan hold talks in recaptured city". Associated Press. 15 June 2021.
29. "Status of Nagorno-Karabakh must be determined through negotiations within framework of OSCE Minsk Group: Jonathan Lacôte". 1Lurer. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.

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Category:Armenia–Azerbaijan relations

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