President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan was interviewed by reporters in Baku on Jan. 10
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on Wednesday said that without a land corridor connecting his country to Nakhichevan, he will not authorize the opening of any border with Armenia, a condition of the peace treaty, as well as the November 9, 2020 agreement.
Speaking to local reporters on Wednesday, Aliyev doubled down on Baku’s insistence to carve out the so-called corridor, warning that if Yerevan does not comply with his demands, Armenia will remain land locked.
“Otherwise, Armenia will remain an eternal deadlock, and if the route (Zangezur) I mentioned is not opened, we are not going to open our border with Armenia anywhere else. So they will do themselves more harm than good,” Aliyev emphasized.
“People and goods should pass from Azerbaijan to Azerbaijan without any checks,” Aliyev added.
Yerevan has opposed the creation of such a corridor, a move supported by Iran, whose foreign ministry reiterated Tehran’s opposition to border changes in the region, in response to Ankara’s insistence that such a “corridor” be opened.
Aliyev pointed to a clause of the November 9, 2020 agreement that calls for the opening of transport links — railway and roads — between Armenia and Azerbaijan, claiming that this provision of the document mandates the opening of the so-called “corridor.”
He called the adoption of the document “our great political success,” saying that Azerbaijan’s occupation of Shushi during the 2020 War paved the way for Baku to insist on these preconditions.
“If Shusha [Shushi] had not been liberated from occupation, we would not have been able to achieve the inclusion of these conditions in the statement,” said Aliyev.
“That is, our victory. The fact that we were strong, allowed us to include in it [Nov. 9, 2020 document] even those conditions that were not related to this issue, in particular those related to the Zangezur corridor,” Aliyev outlined.
The Azerbaijani president’s remarks come at a time when Baku has stepped up its insistence to include the “corridor” concept within the text of a proposed peace treaty. This position was also recently echoed by Turkish officials.
Aliyev’s top advisor, Hikmet Hajiyev, told Reuters last week that the “corridor” was a “main point” of the peace agreement. This followed remarks by Turkey’s defense minister, who said the road to Nakhichevan must open by 2029, prompting Tehran to reiterate its opposition to the plan.
In his responses to questions from reporters, Aliyev also brought up his claims that eight Azerbaijani villages are currently “under Armenia’s occupation,” saying that Baku is backpedaling in its most recent proposal for a peace treaty.
“This issue was discussed during my contacts with the prime minister of Armenia, including the last conversation in St. Petersburg. I raised this issue, and this issue is also on the agenda of commissions dealing with delimitation. I should also inform you that the next meeting of the commissions is scheduled for this month, and this issue is on the agenda,” Aliyev noted.
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Wednesday echoed remarks by Armenia’s National Security chief Armen Grigoryan, who told Armenia’s Public Television about the recent proposals by Azerbaijan regarding the peace treaty.
Yerevan has also insisted that international mediators act as guarantors for the peace treaty, a notion categorically rejected by Aliyev on Wednesday.
“This is a peace treaty to be signed between two sovereign states. We don’t need any guarantors here, and if it is going to be signed in a bilateral format, it should be signed. If someone wants to help, we don’t mind that either. However, this help should not be mandatory,” Aliyev added.
The Azerbaijani leader also took the opportunity to issue threats and warnings not only to Armenia, but also the international community, saying they underestimated his drive to advance his agenda.
“I openly told both the leadership of Armenia and international actors that I can press a button at any time and carry out this operation in one minute, and they would not be able to do anything,” Aliyev said, referring to Azerbaijan’s attack on Artsakh in September which resulted in the forced exodus of the Armenian population there.
“The course of these events showed — and I believe that this should serve as a lesson not only for Armenia, but also for those who stand behind it — that it is impossible to speak to us in the language of threats or behave arrogantly,” Aliyev warned, taking particular aim at France, which Baku has said is advancing a one-sided, pro-Armenia, policy.
He said negative attitudes toward Azerbaijan — from traditional targets — will not abate, saying that by providing military assistance to Armenia, France is aiming to put “constant” pressure on Azerbaijan.
“These are efforts to prevent us from living comfortably and, unfortunately, France is still in the forefront. France is the country that arms Armenia, gives them support, trains their soldiers and prepares them for another war. When I said that France’s policy is causing tensions in the Caucasus, this is exactly what I meant,” Aliyev emphasized.
