Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov used the controversial term late on Monday as he attended a meeting of his counterparts held in Belarus. Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian, who followed the meeting via video link, objected to that.
“In response to Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov’s speech, the Deputy Prime Minister stated that it is necessary to refrain from using the term ‘Zangezur Corridor,’ adding that in accordance with the high-level documents signed between the countries … the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) definition should be used instead,” read an Armenian government statement.
Pashinian similarly criticized Aliyev at the weekend for declaring on Thursday that the TRIPP will ensure Azerbaijan’s “unimpeded access through the Zangezur corridor” to its Nakhichevan exclave. He said the use of the phrase runs counter to the Washington agreements brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump and is “perceived as a territorial claim” in Armenia.
Aliyev had already ignored Pashinian’s objections in a September 1 speech at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China. Armenian opposition leaders portray this as clear proof of their claims that the TRIPP would lead to the kind of an extraterritorial corridor that has been sought by Azerbaijan ever since the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Pashinian was visibly annoyed on Tuesday when the phrase “Zangezur corridor” was also used by a member of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) who asked him a relevant question during his appearance before the Strasbourg based body.
“Where did you get the phrase ‘Zangezur Corridor’ from?” said the Armenian premier. “Where did you read about that phrase? There is no such phrase, there has never been, and rest assured, there will not be in any document agreed upon between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”
While calling the Azerbaijani leaders’ rhetoric a “gross violation of the already agreed mutual recognition of sovereignty” Pashinian again insisted that “peace has been established between Armenia and Azerbaijan.” His domestic critics say Baku’s stance indicates the opposite.