A high-ranking Azerbaijani official again touted Baku’s plan to create a so-called land “corridor” through Armenia and urged Yerevan to amend Armenia’s Constitution, citing it as a major obstacle to signing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Speaking to the Hungarian Maygar Nezmet publication, Elchin Amirbayov, a special advisor to President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, said that the so-called “corridor,” referred by Baku and Ankara as the “Zangezur Corridor,” would greatly benefit Armenia and end its “economic isolation.”
“The opening of the Zangezur Corridor is a project that Azerbaijan considers beneficial for all,” Ameribayov told the Hungarian publications.
“For us, it is important because it would be a connection between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, which belongs to the country. And for Armenia, because it would put an end to its economic isolation in the region, Yerevan would be able to join the economic cooperation in the wider region,” the Azerbaijani official added.
“In addition, the Zangezur Corridor is also an alternative route of the middle corridor connecting Asia with Europe, so it is also an important issue for other countries in the region. Turkey specifically supports the opening of the Zangezur Corridor, and Russia has also expressed its interest,” Amerbayov added.
“I am sure that it is also in Iran’s interest to open it, so I do not think that the Zangezur Corridor could lead to another war. On the contrary, it would allow him to increase economic cooperation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which would be an important confidence-building measure,” the Azerbaijani official said.
Turkey’s Transportation Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu told journalists on Wednesday that the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” is the largest transport project between Azerbaijan and Turkey.
“We are continuing the processes in this direction with the Azerbaijani side in a rapid manner. Our Azerbaijani brothers will decide where the corridor will pass, whether it is the Armenian or Iranian side,” Uraloglu said. “Then this corridor will reach Turkey via Nakhchivan.”
Amirbayov, the senior Azerbaijani official, also discussed the ongoing peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, telling the Hungarian publication that he is optimistic about finalizing the peace document, saying, however, that Armenia’s Constitution remains a caveat in the process.
“The most important challenge on the way to the conclusion of a treaty is the territorial claims against Azerbaijan contained in the Armenian constitution. For the sustainability and irreversibility of peace, Armenia should amend its constitution accordingly so that it no longer has any claim to the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan,” Amirbayov told the Hungarian publication.
“The main reason for the conflict has been this territorial claim since day one. So, even if it is possible to agree on the text of the peace treaty, the legal and constitutional framework of Armenia must be adapted to it, so that it will survive not only under the current but also under future governments,” Amirbayov added. “Now the ball is Armenia’s court.”
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan last week rejected Baku’s precondition to amend the constitution ahead of signing a peace agreement, saying that the language of the treaty suggests that domestic laws do not prevent the implementation of the agreement.
