ArmInfo. The "Zangezur Corridor" was never discussed within the framework of trilateral agreements between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on January 18 at a press conference on the results of the activities of the Russian Foreign Ministry in 2023, when asked to comment on the latest dispute between Baku and Yerevan, including on the so-called Zangezur corridor.
Thus, the Russian diplomat noted that indeed, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in their public comments really addressed the issue of establishing ties between the main part of Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan.
"Moreover, Prime Minister Pashinyan said somewhere that Armenia is categorically against the "Zangezur Corridor". The "Zangezur Corridor" was never discussed within the framework of the trilateral agreements between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. In the statement signed on November 9, 2020, which stopped the war, it was said that all economic and transport communications will be unblocked," he noted.
According to him, the document further noted that Armenia guarantees the security of transport communications between the western regions of Azerbaijan and Nakhijevan in both directions, and control over this transport communication is carried out by the border service of the Russian Federal Security Service.
At the same time, the Russian minister considers Pashinyan's statement about a transit route through Armenia on the same conditions as the route through Iran to be illogical. "I didn't see the logic here. It's hardly appropriate to compare these routes," Lavrov added. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry also recalled that within the framework of a trilateral working group established in 2021 at the level of deputy prime ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, it was agreed that when all connections and routes are unblocked, the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the country through which this route will pass will be fully preserved. He also added that the tripartite commission has also reached an agreement on unblocking the railway communication in June 2023.
"This issue was agreed upon, then it was discussed by the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Russia in Yerevan at the CSTO summit. The meeting was very positive, but then everything changed again. And we understand perfectly well that such rollbacks from the agreements reached are not rare. I don't know what prevented the agreement on the principles of opening traffic between main Azerbaijan and Nakhijevan from being completed on paper," Lavrov said.
In this regard, the Russian minister added that Moscow perfectly understands that there are always "good advices" from Western friends in the South Caucasus. "And these 'advices' are sometimes perceived by one or another participant in the process. And the fact that the West's 'advices' are rather aimed at contributing to their geopolitical goals rather than finding agreements based on the balancing of interests between the countries of the region, is also well known to everyone, "the Russian Foreign Minister said, expressing confidence that there is no alternative to resuming such mechanism. He also recalled that its parameters are enshrined in tripartite agreements: the routes pass through the modern territory of Armenia under the control of the border service of the FSS of Russia. According to Lavrov, customs control procedures at the entrance to Armenia and exit from Armenia to Nakhijevan were also established there.
Earlier in an interview with local media, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev threatened that if Baku does not receive an extraterritorial corridor through the Armenian Syunik, then Armenia will remain under blockade. In turn, the Armenian Prime Minister offered the Azerbaijani side the same transit conditions as those recorded for transit through the territory of Iran.