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Zangezur corridor will be beneficial for those who are concerned about its opening: Turkish expert says

21 January 2025 13:29 (UTC +04:00)

"The countries that will be affected by the Zangazur corridor firstly will be Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. However, when taking into the regions that the corridor will connect, it is clear that it is a project that is closely followed by Iran, Russia, China, and even Europe,” İsmail Öz, Turkish political expert, sociologist, and historian told APA's Türkiye correspondent in a statement.

According to him, the Zangazur corridor will have the status of an international corridor: “The corridor, which will provide very important communication lines, such as both railways and highways, is very important for Türkiye to develop all kinds of relations with the Turkic World, especially with Azerbaijan.

Of particular importance for Azerbaijan is also the country's transformation into a transfer center. The line from China to Europe will create many connections via Baku-Tbilisi-Kars.”

The expert noted that at this point, the Armenian administration also seems to be interested in the project: "However, the fact that should be taken into account is that the Armenian opposition still does not accept this reality.

However, the opening of this corridor is confirmed by Article 9 of the trilateral statement signed after the Garabagh Victory. This will undoubtedly serve the interests of Armenia in the long term. I think that one of the countries that is concerned about the opening of the corridor is Iran.

After the recent developments in Syria, Iran will try to further hinder this project, which it already does not have a positive attitude towards it. Iran may want to compensate for its losses in Syria here. In this context, preventing the further increase of the regional influence of Türkiye and Azerbaijan will be a priority political position for Iran.”

Ismail Oz also said that Russia, which is responsible for ensuring the security of the corridor, is also opposing the policy of the Armenian authorities at this point: "Russia's close relations with Turkey are also very important in this regard. Turkey, which is Russia's gateway to the West, which is in a difficult situation due to the Ukrainian war, has an undeniable importance in accessing the East and Asia through various routes. When viewed from the prism of the Organization of Turkic States, the importance of the corridor gains a very different dimension. In many aspects, especially in the economic, political and cultural fields, the construction of bridges will create a serious increase in power. This factor will again worry some regional countries and Europe. Even Russia may have certain concerns in the long term. However, this corridor, which will be realized with the joint will and initiative of Turkey and Azerbaijan, will be the product of the good-willed efforts of both countries. The Zangezur corridor will be a corridor that even those who are worried about its opening will benefit from, will increase the prosperity of the region, and will strengthen brotherhood. "Despite the positions of the imperialists, the Zangezur corridor will, above all, be a bridge of brotherhood and solidarity, a bond between brothers whose ties have been severed."