Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanian confirmed that the issue was on the agenda of Pashinian’s talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held in Istanbul.
“We can note that the position of the Republic of Armenia that transport links [passing through Armenian territory] should be under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of Armenia has not changed in any way, despite all the speculation that appeared in the press before and after the visit,” he told reporters.
Kostanian referred to Armenian opposition and media suggestions that Pashinian could make far-reaching concessions on the issue during the talks in Istanbul. The Armenian premier stoked that speculation with his comments made ahead of the talks. Speaking with members of Turkey’s Armenian community, Pashinian said Baku will describe a road and a railway to Nakhichevan as a “corridor” even if they are fully controlled by Armenia.
Turkey and Armenia reported no concrete agreements reached during the meeting of their leaders. According to the official Armenian readout of the talks, Pashinian and Erdogan discussed, among other things, “the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process” and Yerevan’s Crossroads of Peace project that calls for conventional transport links between the two South Caucasus states.
Azerbaijan has dismissed the project, saying that people and cargo transported to and from Nakhichevan through Armenia’s Syunik province must be exempt from Armenian border checks. Erdogan has repeatedly backed this demand.
Kostanian said in this regard that Ankara regards Yerevan’s position on the issue as “constructive.”
Syunik is the sole Armenian region bordering Iran. Hence, Tehran’s strong opposition to the so-called “Zangezur corridor” sought by Baku.
Pashinian flew to Istanbul amid Iran’s devastating military conflict with Israel. Armenian opposition figures and pundits feared that Azerbaijan could take advantage of the conflict to try to open the corridor by force.