“We must emphasize that effective unblocking remains a crucial element for peace and economic development in the region, as envisioned by the Republic of Armenia and the agenda it promotes. This is best reflected in the Crossroads of Peace program presented by the Armenian government, which is based on the well-known principles of respect for sovereignty and jurisdiction, as well as reciprocity and equality,” Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on August 7.
Earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s representative for special assignments, Elchin Amirbayov, stated in an interview with RFE/RL that Baku and Yerevan had found a “mutually acceptable option” regarding the road connecting Azerbaijan to its Western exclave of Nakhichevan. Baku commonly refers to this route via the southern Armenian province of Syunik, historically also known as Zangezur, as the “Zangezur Corridor.”
“We realized that we may not be able to conclude a peace agreement in the foreseeable future if on top of the constitutional problem, we also will have another stumbling block, the topic of reopening of communication lines. So, on mutual agreement, we decided to take this paragraph out of the peace agreement and to refer it to a later stage,” Amirbayov said.
“And after the peace agreement is signed, both delegations or both countries may want to resume discussions in order to find a mutually acceptable formula of reopening of communication lines between the main part of Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan,” he added.
Official Yerevan has long objected to the term “corridor,” which implies an extraterritorial nature for the potential road. Armenia insists that both countries should retain jurisdiction over transport links passing through their territories. Additionally, Armenia has argued that the reopening of transport links should occur within the context of a broader regional unblocking, which would include railroad access for Armenia to Iran via Nakhichevan and an open border with Turkey.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been working on the text of a peace agreement for over two years. Western powers, including the United States and the European Union, have urged the two South Caucasus nations, which have fought several wars over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in the past three decades, to finalize the deal soon. Azerbaijan, however, insists that Armenia must remove references to the reunification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia from its Constitution before a peace deal can be signed.
Facebook Forum