Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev renewed demands on Tuesday for Armenia to open a land corridor connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave, insisting that Yerevan fulfill its obligations under the 2020 ceasefire agreement.l
“Armenia must fulfill its obligations and ensure unhindered passage from Azerbaijan to Azerbaijan,” Aliyev stated during a meeting with Azerbaijani government officials. He accused Yerevan of failing to comply with a key provision of the Russian-brokered truce that ended the 2020 war in Artsakh.
The agreement commits Armenia to opening rail and road links between Nakhichevan and mainland Azerbaijan through Syunik, Armenia’s southernmost province bordering Iran. It specifies that Russian border guards will oversee the movement of people, vehicles, and goods.
However, the Armenian government contends that the agreement only requires conventional transport links and does not exempt Azerbaijani cargo and travelers from Armenian border controls. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Crossroads of Peace initiative, which he frequently promotes, asserts that both Armenia and Azerbaijan should maintain full sovereignty over their respective transport infrastructure.
Aliyev dismissed this project, declaring that Baku has repeatedly told Yerevan it is “not worth a penny.” He accused Armenia of misleading the international community with “manipulations.”
In response to Aliyev’s January 7 threat to forcibly establish the so-called “Zangezur corridor,” Pashinyan reiterated his government’s position and said Armenia is still awaiting Azerbaijan’s response to a “very concrete proposal” made during his October meeting with Aliyev.
Armenian officials have warned that Azerbaijan could be preparing for another military offensive against Armenia after it hosts the COP29 climate summit in November. Pashinyan’s domestic critics, along with some analysts, view Aliyev’s threats as further evidence of Baku’s war preparations.
