Azerbaijan: Armenia to miss last chance to avoid crisis if it fails to join global projects

Azerbaijani Security Council Secretary Col-Gen Ramil Usubov has said that Armenia will lose its only chance to avoid economic and social crisis if it again fails to join global projects in the South Caucasus.

Usubov made the remarks in an interview with the official press, according to Report.

"President Ilham Aliyev, with an alternative version of the direct land corridor to Nakhchivan, proved that Azerbaijan is the main source of power in the South Caucasus, and no obstacles can keep it from its goals. Our country can once again isolate Armenia from the opportunity to participate in global projects. This is Yerevan's last chance, and by staying away from this project, it will lose its only chance to avoid an economic and social crisis," he said.

The security official noted that after the 2020 war the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders had seven meetings in real and online formats.

"After Armenia signed the act of surrender, the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders held seven meetings in real and online formats at the initiative of the presidents of Russia, the European Union Council and France. The fact is that the content of the negotiations and the peace agenda are clearly determined by [Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev. At the [Azerbaijani] president's request, expressions such as 'the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict' and 'status' are no longer used in negotiations.

Ilham Aliyev presented his proposals on ensuring peace, security and development in the region: Promoting peace and trust in the region, identifying persons missing in the First Karabakh War, mine clearance, opening communication and transport routes, mutual provision of customs and border control issues, the joint creation of an economic cooperation platform and other similar issues are important topics of negotiations.

But now the initial goal is to start negotiations on a peace agreement and discuss issues of delimitation and demarcation of borders. The composition of the relevant state commission has already been approved by both sides, and the first meeting was held in the border zone. True, Armenia delayed the meeting for several months, avoided negotiations, but as a result was forced to sit down at the negotiating table.

The next stage is the opening of the Zangezur corridor, where Yerevan is already losing the ability to create obstacles. The high diplomatic skills of the President also play a key role in this process. According to the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran on its initiative, a new transport hub connecting Eastern Zangezur and Nakhchivan will be built 5 km south of the Iranian-Armenian border. It will consist of a railway line, a multi-lane highway, digital communications and other elements, completely ignoring Armenia's manoeuvres on the Zangezur corridor. The Armenian government believes that it should have a superior position regarding the new transport hub and should dictate its conditions. However, our president announced that this transport hub will be put into operation with a geographical difference of only 5 kilometres, and Armenia has once again made a mistake in its calculations," Ramil Usubov said.