Azerbaijani, Turkish Leaders Hold Talks On Controversial Land Corridor

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan held significant talks on Monday, where President Aliyev hinted at the possibility of establishing a land corridor connecting their two nations via Armenia, despite Armenia's strong opposition. Erdogan made a conspicuous visit to Azerbaijan's autonomous Nakhchivan exclave, which sits between Armenia, Iran, and Turkey. Both Ankara and Baku have long aspired to create a land corridor through southern Armenia, linking Nakhchivan with the mainland of Azerbaijan. In 2021, President Aliyev had previously threatened to create this corridor, which would solidify a continuous land connection between Turkey and Azerbaijan while denying Armenia a land border with Iran, stating it would happen "whether Armenia likes it or not." The choice of location for Monday's talks, coming shortly after Azerbaijani forces regained control of Nagorno-Karabakh, is expected to heighten concerns in Armenia. Armenia has historically rejected the idea of a land corridor but expressed willingness to restore severed road and rail links. During a joint news conference where questions were not entertained, President Aliyev criticized Soviet-era decisions that assigned Azerbaijani territory to the Armenian Soviet republic, effectively cutting off the land link between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan. An influential telegram channel associated with Karabakh Armenians, "Re:public of Artsakh," viewed Aliyev's statements with alarm and claimed that Azerbaijan and Turkey were openly targeting the Armenian province of Syunik for such a corridor, signaling active preparations for a potential conflict. Erdogan and Aliyev also planned to inspect a recently modernized military facility in Nakhchivan and participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for a new gas pipeline from Turkey. Meanwhile, Russia, with military installations in Armenia and a defense pact with Yerevan, is facing its own Ukraine conflict. It seeks to maintain ties with Baku and Ankara while disapproving of Armenia's current pro-Western prime minister. Erdogan, addressing the U.N. General Assembly, urged for a comprehensive peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, emphasizing the need for fulfilling promises, especially regarding the opening of the Zangezur corridor, as outlined in the 2020 Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended the 44-day war. The interpretation of this clause remains contentious between Baku and Yerevan.