“The Zangezur Corridor is a proposed transport route connecting Azerbaijan's mainland with its Nakhchivan exclave by passing through Armenia's Syunik Province. Backed by Azerbaijan and Türkiye, it is seen by its proponents as a major infrastructure project that would boost regional connectivity and trade,” said Dr. Shazia Anwer Cheema, geopolitical analyst and assistant professor in the School of Liberal Arts at the University of Management and Technology, in her exclusive interview with AZERTAC.
She further noted: “The project remains a point of contention within a broader geopolitical context involving other regional and global players.
The project aims to create a direct land link between mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenia. It is envisioned as a multi-modal artery for trade, energy, and data.”
“In my opinion, it represents another victory for Azerbaijan following the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh. Under President Ilham Aliyev’s leadership, marked by immense strategic patience, Azerbaijan has achieved a non-kinetic resolution to a long-standing dispute. Armenia’s agreement to become part of this futuristic project is a clear sign of Azerbaijan’s diplomatic success.
The geopolitical landscape of the Zangezur region is delicate enough that all concerned parties understand the need to accommodate each other’s concerns. Since the project is fundamentally about trade, connectivity, and commerce, neither Azerbaijan nor Türkiye can materialize this proposal until all levels of hostility from every direction are eliminated,” Dr. Shazia Anwer Cheema added.
“The future of the Global South does not lie in border skirmishes or sabotaging economic development through political or national resentments. Such conflicts only create a vacuum for hostile non-state actors to fill, serving as proxies for short-term interests.
It must be recognized that Azerbaijan, due to Armenia’s long-standing hostility, suffered greatly from the territorial disconnection.
Therefore, I do not foresee any deadlock in the region that needs to be resolved militarily or through proxy militias. The region has a clear understanding of the motives of the Global North, and I welcome every step taken anywhere in the Global South that may appear to involve the broader West, provided all regional actors remain fully aware of the repercussions and possess the capacity and political will to safeguard their populations’ interests.
In this case, the optics may suggest the involvement of numerous external actors, but the real stakeholders remain those whose borders are directly connected. That connection is the prerequisite for their shared future. And that is the reality of our time,” the expert concluded.
