Will Armenia Hand Over The Zangezur Corridor To The US?
4- 12.07.2025, 16:40
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Discussions have resumed on the fate of a key section of the transportation route through the South Caucasus.
Armenia is considering the possibility of transferring the management of the Zangezur corridor to a foreign logistics company. This announced by the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan, emphasizing that the decision can be implemented if it "corresponds to the stated principles" of Yerevan.
The comment came amid a four-hour meeting between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Abu Dhabi, where, according to sources, the corridor was one of the key topics.
The Zangezur corridor links main Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan exclave through southern Armenia and has long been a subject of controversy. According to CaucasusWarReport, the "deal" proposed by Washington suggests that control of the route will be transferred to a private American company. It should simultaneously guarantee Azerbaijan's security and preserve Armenia's sovereignty. At the same time, Russia and Iran are excluded from the process.
In Yerevan, they emphasize that the discussion of the corridor is linked to preparations for the signing of a peace agreement between the two countries. By March, Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed on 15 of the 17 articles of the draft, including the preamble, leaving open only the issues of international claims and third-party accommodation. Both sides announced progress following talks in the UAE, including the topic of border delimitation.
In Turkey, the shifts in Armenia's approach are viewed positively. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in early July, "Although Armenia initially opposed the Zangezur corridor, it is now adopting a more flexible approach to economic integration." According to him, the development of the region is of interest to both Iran and the entire South Caucasus architecture.
The U.S. State Department refrained from commenting on the specific plan and the participation of U.S. companies in it, only reiterating "support for efforts to promote peace and stability in the region."