The Gates of Zangezur in Armenia

A “new transport corridor will pass through Zangezur, a historic territory of Azerbaijan, and will connect mainland Azerbaijan with its integral part, the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, and Turkey,” Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said during a speech at an economic conference.

Aliyev also declared that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been resolved and all United Nations Security Council resolutions have been fulfilled through its aggressive attack on Artsakh on September 27, which sparked a full-blown war.

With such a provocative statement, calling Zangezur an ‘historic Azerbaijani territory’ and making reference to an imaginary corridor, the President of Azerbaijan deliberately undermines the implementation of the November 9 and January 11 trilateral statements,” said Armenia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan, who, once again, stressed that “Article 9 of the November 9 trilateral statement does not mention the establishment of a corridor.”

“Such rhetoric contradicts Azerbaijan’s obligations. It is a blatant challenge to international law, and in no way does it contribute to the stability of the region and threatens all states in the region,” added Naghdalyan.

“The statements of the President of Azerbaijan that Azerbaijan has resolved the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by the use of force further illustrates who unleashed the war and who is leading the region through new challenges and further destabilization,” explained Naghdalyan

“As always, Azerbaijan is distorting the provisions of the UN Security Council resolutions, while these same resolutions express their support for the Minsk Group peace process, headed by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs,” said Naghdalyan.

“With his statements on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, the President of Azerbaijan contradicts the position of the international community, and first of all, the position of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship and Co-Chair countries, which clearly emphasizes the imperative of comprehensive settlement of the conflict. It is obvious to us that the attempt to suppress the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination through the use of force cannot create grounds for the settlement of the conflict. The realization of the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination and the elimination of the consequences of the war are the core elements of the peace process,” explained Naghdalyan.