
ArmInfo. Through Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Turkey will pave a direct route through Armenia to Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea and Central Asia, and along with it, NATO and the United States, which will thus receive their bonus. This opinion was expressed in his telegram channel by First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs Konstantin Zatulin in connection with Pashinyan's upcoming meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and US President Donald Trump in Washington today.
According to Zatulin, it is still unclear what exactly the parties will sign, but he expressed his conviction that we are talking about a deal as a result of which America comes to the region, and Russia and Iran will have to come to terms with it. "Regardless of whether this is included in the text of any agreements or not, the dot will be put on the "i" in the issue of the extraterritorial corridor through Armenia's Syunik and control over it," the MP believes.
Meanwhile, according to him, Turkey, Russia, Iran, and possibly Israel will be the invisible participants of the meeting in Washington. At the same time, as Zatulin explained, if for Turkey and Israel, as well as for the United States and Azerbaijan, this will be the implementation of what is commonly called national interests, then for Russia and Iran this will be the prospect of losing influence and the need for urgent adjustments to plans, in particular, revising the fate of the North-South corridor and replacing it.
"The most despicable thing in all this is Armenia's participation. In fact, by "putting Nikol Pashinyan on their necks", his voters have passed a sentence on themselves and Armenia. There is no smell of any national interests here," the State Duma deputy emphasized.
Touching on Russia's loss of control over the situation, Zatulin noted that this is not only a consequence of some miscalculations, but an objective fact of the country's weakening in the region, due to the war in Ukraine and the conflict with the West.
Today, August 8, a trilateral meeting of the leaders of the United States, Armenia and Azerbaijan will take place at the White House. Trump's meeting with Pashinyan is scheduled for 14:30 Washington time (22:30 Yerevan time), with Aliyev - at 15:20 (23:20 Yerevan time). Following the bilateral talks, a joint statement by the leaders of the United States, Azerbaijan and Armenia is planned for 16:00 (24:00 Yerevan time).