Previously, Zanghuzor was a region in Azerbaijan mainly inhabited by Turkic-speaking Muslims. Later, it was incorporated into Armenia by the Soviet Union in the 1920s, which led to the loss of territorial connection between the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and Azerbaijan, making it an exclave of Azerbaijan. Similarly, Azerbaijan also lost its territorial connection with Turkey. Today, Zanghuzor has become the main point of contention between Baku and Yerevan - Azerbaijan seeks to establish a corridor through it to reach Nakhchivan, while Armenia firmly rejects this. In an article published on "Eurasia Net," author Asharoys Magedson explores the scale, historical roots, and future implications of this dispute.
When Azerbaijan launched a series of unprecedented attacks against targets in southern Armenia last week, speculation immediately shifted to Baku's proposal for the "Zanghuzor Corridor." Since the war between the two countries in 2020, this corridor has become one of the most controversial issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has consistently accused Armenia of breaking its commitment to establish a transport route through the area that would pass through southern Armenia, connecting the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with the rest of the country. It should be noted that this Azerbaijani exclave borders Turkey to the west and Armenia to the east.
The proposed "Zanghuzor Corridor" would connect Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Nakhchivan, and then lead to Kars in Turkey, adjacent to Ije.
Political and Geographical Battle
This issue is developing further, even prompting the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, to threaten that if Armenia does not provide what Baku wants, Azerbaijan will use force to seize the territory of the Zanghuzor Corridor. Therefore, when news of the attack on the evening of September 13, 2022, emerged, many observers from both countries speculated that Azerbaijan had begun implementing these threats. Although this escalation seems to have temporarily subsided, the Azerbaijani government and its close sources continue to use negotiations about this corridor as a justification for their previous attacks. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a statement to justify the attacks on Armenia and accused it of "raising new conditions, disrupting the process of opening communication and transportation lines."
On the other hand, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recently reiterated that Armenia will never allow Azerbaijan to establish any "corridor" within Armenian territory. Pashinyan stated at a meeting in Russia on September 8, 2022, "Azerbaijan is discussing the issue of building a corridor, but I want to clearly state that we will not provide anyone with a corridor crossing Armenian territory. Nevertheless, we are ready to provide and open a route, and we have already submitted these proposals to Azerbaijan, and once Azerbaijan accepts them, we will be able to quickly implement the agreement."
The proposals referred to by Pashinyan are draft resolutions published by the Armenian National Security Service on August 18, 2022, which proposed establishing three new transit points: Sotk near the northern border of Azerbaijan, Karahunj in Armenia near the southern border of Azerbaijan, and Yeraskh near the Nakhchivan border of Azerbaijan. These new transit points would allow Azerbaijani vehicles to travel between the mainland of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan on the other end of the corridor. Theoretically, this could satisfy one of the main conditions of the ceasefire agreement reached between the two countries in 2020, which stipulated that "Armenia ensures the security of the transport routes," which are the routes passing through Armenian territory connecting Nakhchivan with the rest of Azerbaijan.
Nevertheless, most of Azerbaijan's attention is focused on its view of the implementation of the transport routes, because Azerbaijan wants to implement a road along the border between southern Armenia and Iran, passing through the city of Megri, which is the shortest distance to connect Nakhchivan with the rest of the country. Both sides have actually agreed to rebuild a Soviet-era railway. President Aliyev of Azerbaijan also confirmed in May of this year that he had decided to have both the railway and the highway pass through Megri and Zanghuzor, and he pointed out, "As I said, we will continue to move forward to achieve these goals, and we have set the agenda."
Dispute over the Corridor and Sovereignty
Laichin Corridor (Anadolu Agency)
There are disagreements between the two sides regarding the legal status of this road or other roads. According to the ceasefire agreement already reached, Russian border guards must also "control" these new transport routes. Azerbaijan argues that the road should allow Azerbaijani vehicles to pass through Armenian territory without undergoing customs inspections by Armenian authorities. This would make it comparable to the situation of the Laichin Corridor, which connects Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh region and is not under Azerbaijani control.
However, due to concerns about losing control over the southern border areas, Armenia refuses to consider the possibility of establishing the Zanghuzor Corridor without control. Its southern border is the only exit to Iran (given that the country's other borders are adjacent to unfriendly countries such as NATO-friendly Azerbaijan and Georgia, or NATO member Turkey, while Armenia maintains close relations with Russia and Iran). Pashinyan stated during an interview with Al Jazeera on June 14, 2022, "The wording of the so-called corridor project is unacceptable to us. For us, it is a red line that cannot be crossed, because according to the tripartite declaration, there is only one such corridor in our region, and it is the Laichin Corridor."
Analyst Amin Makarian stated in a statement to Eurasia Net, "Yerevan wants to separate the already agreed railway line from other lines, as Armenia has provided its own internal road to prevent Baku from putting these roads and routes into the same basket and requiring special actions, as in the case of the Laichin Corridor." However, it seems that Azerbaijan has not been influenced by Armenia's proposal, and Azerbaijani officials have not commented on it. Transport affairs expert Rauf Agamirzayev told journalists that this does not meet Baku's requirements, "Azerbaijan seeks to open all traffic connections in the region, but its priority is the Zanghuzor Corridor, which is not included in Armenia's plan." Other Azerbaijani analysts believe that if Armenia refuses to allow the construction of a "corridor" to Nakhchivan, Baku will insist on taking similar measures for the Laichin Corridor."
The Laichin Corridor connecting Armenia and the West
The Laichin Corridor connects Armenia with the capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Stepanakert, and is under the control of Russian peacekeeping forces, especially since the city remains predominantly Armenian, and the Azerbaijani army did not enter the area during the 2020 war (European media).
Iran Rejects the Corridor
The idea of establishing the Zanghuzor Corridor has raised concerns in Iran, as it fears that its border with Armenia may be cut off and that it may be significantly surrounded by unfriendly Turkey and Azerbaijan in the Caucasus, especially considering that Azerbaijan maintains close relations with Israel, and is continuously accused of being a base for Israeli intelligence activities against Iran. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei criticized this plan, which has given Armenia more confidence in being able to stop the Zanghuzor Corridor project with Iran's help. Iran expert George Mirzabekyan told Eurasia Net reporters, "Armenia states that it cannot give up the transportation route connecting it with Iran, otherwise it might lose its border with Iran, which would be a serious blow to Armenian sovereignty."
Another key player in this process is Russia. Russia is one of the guarantors of the ceasefire agreement. Moscow has always supported the opening of transport routes in the Caucasus, and now, due to the impact of the war in Ukraine, its supply lines to Europe to the west have been cut, making its interests in this matter greater.
Analyst Olesya Vartanian from the International Crisis Group Research Center told Eurasia Net reporters, "After the war in Ukraine, all land, sea, and air routes between Russia and Europe have been cut off, so Russia places great importance on opening transport routes through Armenia to gain additional transport routes between itself and Turkey. We can assume that Russia may exert pressure on Yerevan on this issue. On the other hand, Yerevan can also take this opportunity to increase its importance in Russia's eyes, so that the latter can somehow help Armenia reach an agreement with Azerbaijan."
In this context, Sergei Markidonov, a Caucasus affairs analyst at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, stated in a statement to Eurasia Net reporters, "Russia has a particular interest in the outcome of this matter, as it will become the security guarantor of this new route. Given that the ceasefire agreement terms related to transportation are 'vague and lack specific details,' it is inevitable that different interpretations will arise regarding this issue."
However, for Russia, the most important issue is its role in providing security, as Markidonov stated, "This is precisely the progress that Russia will push to become the security guarantor of this route." Meanwhile, Pashinyan's ally, leader of the Armenian Republican Party, Ara Sargsyan, told Eurasia Net reporters that he agrees with the view that Russia has special interests in ensuring the construction of this road, "In this way, Russia can simultaneously control two corridors (one connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh and the other connecting Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan), thereby gradually increasing the dependence of both countries on it."
Sources: Eurasia Net
Date: September 27, 2022
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7536649230305034771/
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