Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev speaking with the Russia's foreign minister during their meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, June 23, 2022. (Russian Foreign Ministry via AFP Photo)
The Zangezur corridor, which will provide a connection between the western regions of Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave, is already becoming a reality, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the 6th Summit of the Caspian littoral states, Aliyev said: “After the victory in the Great Patriotic War and the settlement of the conflict with Armenia, Azerbaijan began to carry out large-scale work on the reconstruction and restoration of Karabakh and East Zangezur, as well as the development of international transport links. The Zangezur corridor is already becoming a reality.”
Zangezur was part of Azerbaijan until the Soviets gave the region to Armenia in the 1920s. This move resulted in Azerbaijan losing its direct overland route with Nakhchivan.
Following the completion of the railway, Azerbaijan will be able to reach Iran, Armenia and Nakhchivan uninterruptedly by train. The railway will also link Turkey with Russia through Azerbaijan.
“Today, Azerbaijan is one of the important transport and logistics centers of Eurasia,” Aliyev continued. “Our country plays an important role in the development of East-West and North-South international transport corridors. We strive for the efficient use of the Trans-Caspian international transport route.”
Aliyev announced that the eighth meeting of the North-South International Transport Corridor Coordination Council is also planned to be held in Azerbaijan this year.
Efforts for reconstruction and enhanced transport routes with regional countries come after a major territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia has been resolved to a great extent, with the two countries aiming now to sign a peace agreement.
Relations between the two former Soviet countries have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
New clashes erupted in September 2020, and the 44-day conflict saw Azerbaijan liberate several cities and over 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.
A tripartite agreement was brokered by Russia to bring an end to the war in November 2020.