Armenia Will Not Cede Any Extraterritorial Land Corridors to Azerbaijan

YEREVAN — The Armenian Foreign Ministry has denied on Tuesday claims by Azeri president Ilham Aliyev that Armenia will provide a land “corridor” linking Azerbaijan to Nakhijevan  as a result of the latest talks between the leaders of the two states hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The ministry spokesman, Vahan Hunanyan, said a joint statement issued by Aliyev, Pashinyan and Putin at Sochi “refuted propaganda notions about a ‘corridor’ or the logic of a corridor.”

“There are several important points in the Sochi Trilateral Statement of November 26. With the Sochi Statement, the parties reaffirm their obligation to coherent and unconditional implementation of all the provisions of the Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020. This also refers to the obligations enshrined in the 8th provision of the Statement – the return of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees, which Azerbaijan has not implemented so far”. Hunanyan said during a press briefing.

According to him, on multiple occasions The Azerbaijani side has spoken about the so-called “corridor” through the southern Armenian province of Syunik that would connect Nakhijevan to the rest of Azerbaijan. “The Armenian side, however, has repeatedly denied its involvement in negotiations on the provision of a corridor to Azerbaijan, stressing that they have only agreed to unblock transport communications in the region”. Hunanyan emphasized.

The Sochi Statement of November 26 once again reiterates the provision of unblocking all transport and economic infrastructures in the region enshrined in the Statement of January 11, and once again refutes the propaganda theses on so – called “corridor” or the corridor logic.

According to the Statement, an agreement was reached to undertake steps aimed at increasing the level of stability and security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The primary and most important step in that regard should be the implementation of steps towards de-escalation.

“We are convinced that the full implementation of the provisions of the Trilateral Statements will contribute to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship”. Hunanyan concluded.