"Zangezur corridor" red line for Armenian state - expert 

ArmInfo. For Armenia, the implementation of the so-called "Zangezur corridor" is a red line fraught with serious political, economic and military challenges. At the same time, Azerbaijan and Turkey have been promoting it for over a hundred years, since the corridor is of strategic importance to them, regional issues expert Karen Igityan said in an interview with ArmInfo. 

In this regard, the expert noted that the Armenian authorities are  ready to cede their sovereignty in this territory to a private  security company, which, according to him, will subsequently allow  Turkey and Azerbaijan to have unimpeded communication with each  other.

"For Azerbaijan, stability in the region means only one thing:  weakening Armenia to such an extent that it will be able to seize its  entire territory. At the media forum in Shushi, even foreign guests,  speaking about the territory of Armenia, used the provocative term  "Western Azerbaijan". Considering the peace agenda proclaimed by  Pashinyan, the appetite of the Azerbaijani authorities has only  increased. Now they claim that they have no territorial claims, but  later they will announce that this is their historical territory. The  scenario will be approximately the same as in Artsakh. They will  offer to stay, but will do everything to make people leave," Karen  Igityan emphasizes.

According to the expert, most of the problems are rooted in the  mentality that the current authorities are instilling. In this  regard, he explained that the idea that the Armenian people are weak,  that everything is decided for them, and that war should be avoided  by any means, since war, according to their logic, is tantamount to  defeat, is actively spreading among society. At the same time, the  expert insists that the so- called Zangezur corridor is a red line  only for the Armenian state, but not for the Armenian authorities. 

"Azerbaijan succeeds in many things only because Armenia does not  oppose Baku's actions, and sometimes even plays along with it. But if  the Armenian authorities stand on the side of state interests and  carry out systematic work, this will greatly limit the influence of  Azerbaijan and Turkey in the region. However, it is worth  understanding that Armenia is not able to do this alone. There are  countries with which we either have the same interests now, or can  potentially coincide if the right policy is pursued," the expert  said.

He also explained that the "idea" of the current authorities to turn  Armenia into a crossroads of the world is unrealistic in the current  geopolitical conditions. Moreover, as the expert explained, the  authorities are trying to create a myth that Armenia allegedly has  great benefits in implementing this project, thereby justifying their  political decisions. "People who operate with this mythical argument,  as you can see, never cite figures. The net profit of the Georgian  Railway for the first half of the year amounted to several million  dollars. We are talking about small amounts in the case of Armenia as  well. Therefore, this project will not lead it out of the crisis. But  if Azerbaijan manages to implement the so-called ,  they will be able to cut off the North-South corridor through the  whole of Armenia," the expert explained.

Igityan also touched upon the positions of other regional players.  According to him, Iran clearly understands that the "Zangezur  corridor" is necessary to cut off Armenia from Iran, block the  North-South route and make the route through Azerbaijan the only  alternative. This, as the expert explains, will bring Baku  significant profits and increase its role and status in the region.  Touching upon Russia's position, the expert emphasized that it has  undergone significant changes. If earlier, as Igityan notes, Russian  representatives repeatedly stated the need to unblock communications  exclusively under the sovereignty of the states through whose  territory these roads pass, now the current statement by Russian  Foreign Minister Lavrov is closer to the corridor concept.

"Russia's position is now closer to what Azerbaijan says, and there  are reasons for this. The Armenian authorities are methodically  pushing Russia out of Armenia. But having once ceded its sovereignty  over the road, Armenia is unlikely to be able to get it back, and  Azerbaijan, in turn, has successful experience in pushing Russia out.  Thus, the policy pursued by the current Prime Minister of Armenia  leads to Russia increasingly perceiving Armenia as a second Ukraine,  which is a dangerous trend," Karen Igityan added.

The expert also drew attention to the statements of the US State  Department representatives. In his opinion, the West needs peace in  the South Caucasus so that resources from Central Asia are redirected  through this region, bypassing the control of Russia and Iran. That  is why, as Igityan notes, Azerbaijan and Turkey are positioning the  so-called as part of just such a project. "Turkey  is a NATO member, and Azerbaijan is a reliable energy partner of the  European Union, as the European Union itself has declared it.  Accordingly, here the West, in particular the US, and to some extent  the European Union, with certain reservations, act as allies of  Azerbaijan and Turkey," the expert concluded.