President Ilham Aliyev has said the opening of the Zangezur corridor is no longer in question, describing it as a strategic transport link that will connect mainland Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and carry cargo from China and Central Asia to wider regional markets.

Speaking in an interview with local television channels on 5 January, President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan began implementing the project shortly after the Second Karabakh conflict.

“We actually started implementing this corridor a few months after the war. If I am not mistaken, the foundation of that railway was already laid at the beginning of 2021,” he said.

Ilham Aliyev said there had never been a serious doubt about the corridor’s completion. “To be honest, I had no doubt that this road would be opened.If there had been any doubts, we probably would not have invested so much money,” he said, adding that firm language at times was deliberate. “Sometimes such rhetoric is needed because it mildly encourages the other side, so to speak.”

He said political decisions taken in Washington last year removed any remaining uncertainty. “The resolution of this issue in America with the participation of President Donald Trump made this issue appear to be a completely resolved issue,” Aliyev said, adding that the corridor’s name may change, but “that does not change the essence”.

President Aliyev said Azerbaijan currently relies on a single westward railway route and that the Zangezur corridor will provide a necessary second link. He said this would increase competition, prevent monopolisation of transit and improve tariff competitiveness across regional routes.

The president said the corridor would initially serve as a direct link with Nakhchivan but would also function as an international transport route. “We expect cargo from China and Central Asian countries to travel along the Zangezur corridor,” he said, describing Azerbaijan as “a priority partner for the People’s Republic of China in this region, both in terms of volumes of trade and potential”.

“These flows can go in many directions,” Aliyev said. “From here, they can go to the West, through the Zangezur corridor towards the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, and in the northern direction as well.”

President Aliyev said the corridor will link the East-West and North-South routes, with projected annual cargo capacity reaching 15 million tonnes. “There are no remaining obstacles to the project,” he said.

Construction on the Azerbaijani territory is already well advanced. Ilham Aliyev said the highway leading to the Armenian border is 95% complete, while railway construction has reached 70% physical readiness. He added that work could be accelerated if needed, but noted that construction has not yet begun on the Armenian section, which includes a 42-kilometre stretch.

He said Armenia would be unable to step away from the project. “I do not believe that Armenia will be able to evade it. This would be tantamount to suicide,” Aliyev said, adding that reports from Armenia suggest physical construction of the route is planned to begin this year.
 

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