Lavrov:  Zangezur Corridor was never discussed within trilateral  agreements between leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia

ArmInfo. The "Zangezur Corridor" was never discussed within the framework of trilateral agreements between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on January 18 at a press conference on the results of the activities of the Russian Foreign Ministry in 2023, when asked to comment on the latest dispute between Baku and Yerevan, including on the so-called Zangezur corridor.

Thus, the Russian diplomat noted that indeed, the leaders of Armenia  and Azerbaijan in their public comments really addressed the issue of  establishing ties between the main part of Azerbaijan and  Nakhichevan.

 "Moreover, Prime Minister Pashinyan said somewhere that Armenia is  categorically against the "Zangezur Corridor". The "Zangezur  Corridor" was never discussed within the framework of the trilateral  agreements between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. In  the statement signed on November 9, 2020, which stopped the war, it  was said that all economic and transport communications will be  unblocked," he noted.

According to him, the document further noted that Armenia guarantees  the security of transport communications between the western regions  of Azerbaijan and Nakhijevan in both directions, and control over  this transport communication is carried out by the border service of  the Russian Federal Security Service.

At the same time, the Russian minister considers Pashinyan's  statement about a transit route through Armenia on the same  conditions as the route through Iran to be illogical. "I didn't see  the logic here. It's hardly appropriate to compare these routes,"  Lavrov added.  The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry also recalled  that within the framework of a trilateral working group established  in 2021 at the level of deputy prime ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan  and Russia, it was agreed that when all connections and routes are  unblocked, the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the country through  which this route will pass will be fully preserved. He also added  that the tripartite commission has also reached an agreement on  unblocking the railway communication in June 2023.

"This issue was agreed upon, then it was discussed by the Prime  Minister of Armenia and the President of Russia in Yerevan at the  CSTO summit. The meeting was very positive, but then everything  changed again.  And we understand perfectly well that such rollbacks  from the agreements reached are not rare. I don't know what prevented  the agreement on the principles of opening traffic between main  Azerbaijan and Nakhijevan from being completed on paper," Lavrov  said.

In this regard, the Russian minister added that Moscow perfectly  understands that there are always "good advices" from Western friends  in the South Caucasus. "And these 'advices' are sometimes perceived  by one or another participant in the process. And the fact that the  West's  'advices' are rather aimed at contributing to their  geopolitical goals rather than finding agreements based on the  balancing of interests between the countries of the region, is also  well known to everyone, "the Russian Foreign Minister said,  expressing confidence that there is no alternative to resuming such  mechanism.  He also recalled that its parameters are enshrined in  tripartite agreements: the routes pass through the modern territory  of Armenia under the control of the border service of the FSS of  Russia. According to Lavrov, customs control procedures at the  entrance to Armenia and exit from Armenia to Nakhijevan were also  established there.

Earlier in an interview with local media, Azerbaijani President Ilham  Aliyev threatened that if Baku does not receive an extraterritorial  corridor through the Armenian Syunik, then Armenia will remain under  blockade. In turn, the Armenian Prime Minister offered the  Azerbaijani side the same transit conditions as those recorded for  transit through the territory of Iran.