The United States has proposed to take over the management of the Zangezur Corridor, a 32—kilometer section in Armenia connecting main Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, in order to overcome differences in negotiations between Yerevan and Baku.
The relevant information was confirmed by the US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, stressing that Washington is ready to lease the corridor for 100 years through a private American company.
"They're arguing over 32 km of road, but it's not a joke. This has been going on for ten years now — 32 km of road. And the following happens: America comes and says, "Okay, we'll take this for ourselves. Give us 32 km of road to lease for 100 years, and you will be able to share it among yourselves," the ambassador said.
According to Middle East Eye, Armenia insists that the initiative also include a section of road in Nakhchivan, which the Azerbaijani side considers unacceptable. Azerbaijan, in turn, demands guarantees of unhindered access and opposes Yerevan's full control over the route.
It is reported that the discussion of the corridor is related to preparations for the signing of a peace agreement between the two countries. By March, Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed on 15 of the 17 articles of the draft, including the preamble, leaving open only the issues of international lawsuits and the placement of third parties.
In early July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan positively assessed the changes in Armenia's approach: "Although Armenia initially opposed the Zangezur corridor, now it adheres to a more flexible approach to economic integration." According to him, the development of the region is of interest to Iran and the entire South Caucasus, trt.global reports.
