It is one of the most contentious issues in current geopolitics, and an influential one for rail freight: the so-called Zangezur Corridor. The 42-kilometre stretch of Armenian land, once open for international transports, could facilitate a new Middle Corridor route. It long seemed politically impossible, but could it come to fruition after all?
The Zangezur Corridor is an envisioned transport corridor between two parts of Azerbaijan: its mainland and the Nakhchivan exclave. If Azerbaijan were to be allowed to move goods (and passengers) through the southernmost part of Armenia, it could provide for an alternative route on the Middle Corridor through the Caucasus.
Once in place, the Zangezur Corridor would connect the Caspian Sea to the Turkish city of Kars through Armenia. At the moment, such a connection already exists, but it runs through Georgia rather than Armenia. Zangezur could add more capacity and redundancy for the Middle Corridor in a geographically difficult region.
Deal or no deal?
That seems like an attractive infrastructure improvement, and surely Armenia would stand to gain from transit income. Yet, a deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia remains complicated, not least because they fought out two wars in the past five years. The former wants unimpeded access through Armenian territory, but the latter wants to retain control over its own land.
Last month, it looked like the two countries were getting closer to a deal on the matter, but those reports remained unconfirmed. A first-ever meeting between the government leaders of both countries in mid-July seemed to confirm progress, as did a state visit to Azerbaijan’s staunchest ally Türkiye by the Armenian Prime Minister, according to Turkish media. Reports then also surfaced that the US had proposed a private American company to oversee the Zangezur Corridor, but those were quickly dismissed by the Armenian side.
International opposition
It remains unclear if the Zangezur Corridor will become a reality and in which format: time will tell if Azerbaijan and Armenia can strike a deal. What is clear, is that it is still a highly contentious issue, not only for the two countries.
Iran is opposed to the project, because it does not want to lose its land border with Armenia, especially not to an American company. It could also block a direct overland route between Iran and Russia, a strategic setback for both. And as for Russia, it is rather unhappy that it was not involved in negotiations – a sign of waning Russian influence in the region.