Civilnet
By Alexander Pracht
Armenia will never accept the logic or terminology of a “Zangezur corridor” and insists that any transit through its territory must respect its sovereignty, said Nazeli Baghdasaryan, spokesperson for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in an interview with Armenpress, the country’s state news agency, published Monday.
Her remarks were in response to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statements at a media forum last week, where he reiterated demands for an uninterrupted link between mainland Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan exclave, bypassing Armenian border control.
Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijani cargo and citizens “must not see Armenian border guards or anyone else” while transiting the route, and referred to the matter as having been raised with Prime Minister Pashinyan during their meeting in Abu Dhabi on July 10. He also rejected any arrangement involving a third-party operator or lease of Armenian territory.
Baghdasaryan dismissed these demands as incompatible with Armenia’s legal and political framework. “Armenia has never discussed and will not discuss any concept based on the logic or vocabulary of a so-called ‘corridor,’” she said, emphasizing that such rhetoric amounts to hidden territorial claims.
She reiterated Armenia’s position in favor of unblocking all regional transport links through the Crossroads of Peace initiative, which foresees mutually accessible transit routes based on the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty, and reciprocity. Armenia, she said, expects similar connectivity through Azerbaijani territory to link the southern Syunik province with the rest of Armenia and third countries.
Any passage through Armenia must be subject to internationally accepted customs and border procedures, Baghdasaryan stressed. “There is no scenario in which individuals or cargo can cross Armenian territory without undergoing proper checks,” she said, adding that such oversight is necessary to prevent illegal trafficking, ensure national security, and respond to emergencies, such as the transportation of hazardous materials.
Baghdasaryan also addressed Aliyev’s claims that Armenia has done no work to build its section of the railway connecting to Nakhichevan. She said Armenia has repeatedly made proposals, including one in which Armenian engines would provide rail service between Azerbaijan’s western regions and Nakhichevan. Azerbaijan has either ignored or rejected these offers, she noted.
While Azerbaijan has reportedly nearly completed its section of the railway, Armenia cannot begin construction on the 42-kilometer section through Syunik without a bilateral agreement, since the line cannot function even for internal use without such an understanding.
Aliyev’s statement that Armenia risks “political and transport isolation” if it delays is unjustified, Baghdasaryan said, adding that Armenia is ready to proceed with construction once agreements are reached.
Regarding a potential peace agreement, Baghdasaryan confirmed that talks are ongoing and both sides are close to a deal. She said Armenia is open to signing or pre-signing the agreement under conditions that respect mutual commitments, and emphasized that issues such as the release of detainees are discussed in every round of negotiations.
Baku has long pushed for a land link through Armenia’s Syunik province to connect mainland Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan, securing a reference to such a route in the Russia-brokered ceasefire declaration that ended the 2020 war. That clause implied the corridor would be monitored by Russian personnel.
Earlier this month, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack revealed that the Trump administration had proposed a 100-year lease of the route, offering shared access to both Armenian and Azerbaijani sides. The proposal was swiftly rejected by Baghdasaryan, and Prime Minister Pashinyan clarified that while Armenia may consider hiring a neutral third party to operate the route, it will retain full sovereignty and will not lease or cede any part of its internationally recognized territory.
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