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Pashinyan: Armenia ready to give passage to Azerbaijan under same conditions as Iran
Nikol Pashinyan said his country is ready to provide Azerbaijan with a land corridor under the same conditions as Iran gives to Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan has been calling for its longstanding request for a transport corridor to be included in a Russian-mediated peace treaty signed between the two countries after months of deadly conflict in November 2020.
The so-called Zangezur corridor aims to connect the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan, bordering Turkey, to mainland Azerbaijan through the southern Armenian province of Syunik.
Baku has been asking for an unimpeded passage, without checkpoints, and when Yerevan refused to do so, Azerbaijan said it will instead discuss the issue with its southern neighbor Iran.
“We are ready to provide our roads through Syunik, Tavush, Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor, all possible places. By what principles? The roads must function without bypassing, undermining or subordinating the sovereignty, territorial integrity and jurisdiction of the Republic of Armenia, just like in all countries of the world,” the Armenian prime minister said.
Iran has also repeatedly announced its opposition to the Zangezur project that would cut off the transport routes connecting its territory to Armenia. Tehran says that it is against any geopolitical changes in the region.
Since Armenia and Azerbaijan maintain a mutual traffic blockade due to long-running tensions, Baku’s connection with Nakhchivan for decades has been Iran, and the connection with Turkey has been Georgia.