America’s plan for the “Zangzur” corridor and a warning to the diplomatic establishment.
The South Caucasus region has long been a site of competition between powers such as Iran, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia, the region became a scene of global competition with the entry of Europe and the United States and the Karabakh conflict. Following the 2020 Karabakh war and Azerbaijan’s subsequent dominance, tensions escalated over the Zangezur Corridor, which connects Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan. Iran opposes the plan, but the Organization of Turkic States and NATO support it. The recent US proposal for a 100-year control of the corridor by a private company has increased the complexities of the region. We spoke to Ehsan Movahdian, an expert on Caucasus issues, about this.
He added: “On the one hand, we are witnessing conflicts between Aliyev and Putin over the lobby that Azerbaijan has in Russia. They are trying to influence and control the political-security structures of Russia, and Britain and the Zionist regime are also involved in this. This has caused Putin to deal with Azerbaijani immigrants. On the other hand, Azerbaijani media are raising the need for the country to join NATO. The remarks of the US ambassador to Turkey, who announced his readiness to lease the route that the Zangezur corridor is supposed to pass through for 100 years, have attracted attention. He said that an American company will manage this corridor. Armenia has also suggested that the Nakhchivan section of the corridor should be leased by the same American company that Azerbaijan has not accepted. This issue has dangerous consequences and paves the way for Iran to become a neighbor of the United States.” If the US plan is implemented, the entire northern strip of the country from Turkey, which was previously a NATO member, to the Nakhchivan region and the border with Armenia and Azerbaijan will be under the control of the US, the Zionist regime, and NATO forces.
According to Movehdian, the claims of the US ambassador to Turkey regarding control of the Zangezur Corridor have not been accepted, but we must be vigilant that no movement occurs along the Zangezur Corridor. Iran opposes any geopolitical manipulation, border changes, identity and demographic changes, and forced migration of Armenians in the region. The reason for opposing the forced migration of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh is that the emptying of that region has allowed the Zionist regime and NATO forces to be present in the region to create problems, according to media reports. Azerbaijan emphasizes the necessity of emigrating its people. Azerbaijan has proposed emigrating 300,000 people. Iran published a document of considerations at the ECO summit and said that it opposes the idea of emigrating some people from the Republic of Azerbaijan to Armenia and demographic changes.