ArmInfo.As of today, there are more questions than answers about the corridors to be opened in the South Caucasus. But I really hope that with the support and participation of Russia, these issues will be resolved soon or maybe not so soon. Viktor Nadein-Raevsky, Researcher of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), said in an interview with ArmInfo.
"For example, the area around the Lachin corridor, no doubt, needs protection: mountainous terrain, serpentine – there is not just a narrow section of the road, there is a section of territory that someone should protect, especially after the arrival of the Azerbaijani population there. Otherwise clashes are inevitable. And I do not at all think that control over the territory of the Lachin corridor should be carried out exclusively by Azerbaijan," he stressed.
In this light, returning to the history of the conflict, the Turkologist recalled that the territory of Nagorno- Karabakh inhabited by Armenians was once included by the Bolshevik government of the RSFSR to Azerbaijan. At the same time, he noted that the region of Lachin, which at that time also belonged to the Azerbaijan SSR, was mainly inhabited by Kurds. And this time the Armenian side is the one who raises questions about the fact that the latter was forced to leave it in the 1990s.
According to the Russian expert, one way or another, there is no mention of ownership of Karabakh and Lachin in the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020. As well as there is no mention of Baku's control over movements and passage in the Lachin corridor Thus, according to Nadein-Raevsky, even the agreement of the conflicting parties to move still leaves open the question of ensuring its security.
"In general, the activation of transport corridors seems to be a very real step towards the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. But even here the question arises of the need to ensure their safe functioning. For example, it is not clear who will ensure the safety of the passage of Armenian passengers passing through Nakhichevan or Baku. History shows that, unfortunately, Baku is not able to do this on its own, while the security of the road from Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan will be provided by Russian border troops," the expert summed up.