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Georgia sees Zangezur issue as opportunity for cooperation, not competition - political scientist

09 August 2025 19:42 (UTC +04:00)

The meeting of the US President and the Azerbaijani head of state at the White House is a breakthrough in Azerbaijan's relations with the US.

Georgian political scientist Levan Mamaladze said in an interview with APA.

"This was also manifested in the sincere smiles and friendly handshakes of the two leaders. Apparently, this is the beginning of a new direction in Azerbaijan-US relations. At the same time, the resolution of the issue of signing a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia under Trump's leadership is also an important event," the political scientist added.

The Georgian political scientist believes that Armenia also intends to use the US to create security guarantees for itself: "In this context, the issue presented under a different name, previously known as the "Gorus-Zangezur corridor", will also be resolved. This is an interesting initiative called the "Trump project for peace". The Americans present it as a "land Panama passage" - that is, an option connecting North and Central Asia with the whole world. The role of both Azerbaijan and Armenia is very important here."

Levan Mamaladze noted that Russia's exclusion from the process could create new security risks in the South Caucasus.

“This is an interesting project, but we must always take into account: major geopolitical changes can create problems later. We are talking about Russia’s withdrawal from the South Caucasus, especially from the long-standing but conflict-ridden Azerbaijani-Armenian relations. In the context of resolving the Karabakh issue, it can be said that Russia has been virtually excluded from the process. There are many reasons for this. However, when imperial interests collide, we must understand that they can always manifest themselves in the form of various conflicts and military clashes. History shows that nothing can be ruled out: although the players have changed, we have always felt the interests of great empires and we must take this into account. That is why Georgia is approaching this issue with caution, because we know very well how it works, since we have very close relations with the West. Is it possible to assess this issue in the context of security — this is a topic that needs to be considered within the framework of new relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Turkish factor is also very important here, because the US’s entry into the project will be supported by Türkiye in any case. This is important, because America cannot do anything alone,” he said.

The political scientist noted that the Zangezur issue is not a competition for Georgia, but an opportunity for cooperation: “Georgia does not see the solution of the Zangezur issue as a subject of competition in terms of a new transit line. I think this further enriches the situation and expands the capabilities of our Caspian-Black Sea corridor, which was once created at the initiative of Heydar Aliyev and Eduard Shevardnadze, by increasing its throughput capacity. This was a new load for our countries, and if everything is distributed correctly here, I do not think that this will be to the detriment of Georgia. Because all oil pipelines pass through Georgia, and the Black Sea direction is the closest route. For example, currently actively operating ferry crossings in the direction of Bulgaria and Romania connect both Eastern and Western Europe and will play an active role. As for the direction of Türkiye, there is already enough load there. I think that the Zangezur corridor will not only be satisfied with creating a connection with Nakhchivan, but will also provide trade routes to Türkiye and then to Turkish seaports and will have its own load. Therefore, we must also take into account Russia's interests here. Russia "The North-South project was presented by Azerbaijan, Iran, the port of Bandar Abbas and the port of Mumbai in India. Currently, this trade route is suspended due to the tension between Azerbaijan and Russia. But I think that if this tension can be transferred to commercial and business relations, political issues can gradually subside. However, it should be borne in mind that such experiments always have their own development dynamics."