Baku | July 14, 2025 — The long-stalled negotiations on unblocking transportation links in the South Caucasus have gained renewed international attention, as the Zangezur Corridor once again becomes the focus of regional and global diplomacy. With Washington, Brussels, and Ankara stepping more visibly into the process, discussions between Armenia and Azerbaijan have entered a more dynamic phase.
In an interview with Minval, former Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Tofiq Zulfugarov highlighted several critical aspects shaping the current dialogue. According to Zulfugarov, the core issue now revolves around restoring direct transport connectivity between mainland Azerbaijan and its exclave Nakhchivan — a link severed after the Soviet-era handover of the Zangezur region to Armenia, which he labeled “an illegal and criminal act” by the Bolsheviks.
“This territorial handover was followed by ethnic cleansing and the erasure of historical Azerbaijani place names, forming one of the root causes of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict,” he noted. “While the Karabakh question is largely resolved, the issue of internal connectivity remains unresolved.”
Zulfugarov argued that the international community also views the current situation — where a country lacks unimpeded access between its own regions — as abnormal. He emphasized that discussions are ongoing around how this route will function, including the financial and logistical arrangements necessary for its implementation.
He recalled that the November 10, 2020 trilateral statement signed after the Second Karabakh War included provisions for a transport corridor through Zangezur. At the time, it was expected that Russian border guards would oversee its security, as they already do along Armenia’s borders with Iran and Turkey.
“But those negotiations never yielded results,” Zulfugarov said. “Armenia stalled, and Russia showed limited interest. Now the United States and perhaps the EU are joining the conversation.”
He also underlined Turkey’s active involvement. “Prime Minister Pashinyan’s recent visit to Turkey included discussion of bilateral connectivity. But Ankara made it clear: no regional transport projects will advance unless the Azerbaijani corridor issue is resolved first.”
Zulfugarov noted that the EU initially offered financial and technical assistance for the corridor but later overstepped its mandate — particularly France — prompting Baku to reject its involvement. Recently, however, European participation is once again under consideration, including as a potential security guarantor.
He also referenced the recent comments by the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, confirming active discussions and interest from Washington. “The U.S. is clearly looking to support implementation. But there’s a limit,” Zulfugarov warned.
Commenting on the idea — reportedly discussed in diplomatic circles — of placing the corridor or its infrastructure under the control of a third-party operator, Zulfugarov dismissed it as illogical and unacceptable: “Nakhchivan is part of Azerbaijan. Why should we hand over our sovereign transport infrastructure to an outside company? This looks like an effort by pro-Russian forces in Armenia to stall progress.”
Reacting to the statement by Armenian government spokesperson Nazeli Baghdasaryan that Armenia would not cede control of Zangezur to any third party, Zulfugarov remarked bluntly: “We’ll see. If Armenia refuses cooperation, it risks alienating the U.S., EU, and Turkey — ending up back in geopolitical isolation with Russia and Iran, whose capacity to influence events is increasingly limited.”
He concluded that this moment represents a critical test for Armenia’s leadership. “There will be internal pushback, particularly from pro-Russian factions, but the process will move forward. It has too much regional and international momentum to fail.”
