Azerbaijani president: Zangezur Corridor’s initial capacity estimated at 15 million tons UPDATED

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has highlighted the growing importance of the Zangezur corridor and Azerbaijan's commitment to environmentally sustainable development during his address at the 3rd Shusha Global Media Forum.

“We estimate the initial potential of the Zangezur corridor at 15 million tons of cargo,” the President stated, pointing to the strategic significance of the transportation link, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

He noted rapid progress in infrastructure development: “We are practically completing the construction of the railway up to the junction with our borders with Armenia and Iran. Probably in less than a year – possibly even by spring next year – the Azerbaijani section of this railway will be completed.”

President Aliyev further explained the corridor’s broader regional role: “The implementation of the Zangezur corridor will, in essence, open another route of the North-South corridor – not only the one everyone talks about, from Russia through Azerbaijan to Iran via Rasht, but also through East Zangezur and other parts of the Zangezur region to Iran, further extending to Türkiye. Therefore, vast opportunities are emerging to increase the volume of cargo transportation.”

However, the President also addressed the lack of cooperation from Armenia regarding the corridor’s implementation.

“If Armenia continues to block the process related to the opening of the Zangezur corridor, its chances of ever becoming a transit country will approach zero,” he warned.

“Unfortunately, no work related to the Zangezur corridor has been carried out on the Armenian side over the past five years. This issue is deliberately being removed from the agenda. In that case, Armenia’s chances of ever becoming a transit country are nearing zero. If they continue to obstruct this process, I believe they will find themselves not only in the transport isolation they are already experiencing, but also, to some extent, in political isolation,” the head of state emphasised.

The President also touched on Azerbaijan’s role as a key energy supplier to Europe through the Southern Gas Corridor, which he said is currently operating at maximum capacity.

“Today, the Southern Gas Corridor is working at full capacity. In order to find new destinations, we are using different interconnectors, but the mainstream pipeline is fully packed,” he stated.

“In order to expand it, we need funds, we need borrowed money. I think that European institutions will consider this situation and change their policies so that funds can be attracted. Under these circumstances, what today seems to us like a done deal can grow,” he added, signalling future opportunities for expanded energy cooperation with Europe.

In a broader context, President Aliyev underscored the improved geopolitical environment in the South Caucasus following the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

“Especially after the resolution of Karabakh conflict, I think the prospects for stability, security, and development are much broader than ever before. So this is major factor for promotion of connectivity issues,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of regional diplomacy and Azerbaijan’s reputation as a trustworthy partner.

“The second important factor is good relations with neighbors. Because without that, you cannot become a transit country, and you have to have good relations not only with your neighbors, but also with the neighbors of your neighbors, and for that, you need very proactive diplomacy and a very good image of a reliable partner. So what we were trying to do for the last decades was to build confidence, so that we can demonstrate that, the country is a reliable partner, and our work has the same value as our signature. So far, that was the case,” the President emphasised.

Building on the theme of regional cooperation, President Aliyev called for greater unity and effectiveness within the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), a regional intergovernmental body.

“We need Economic Cooperation Organization to be more consolidated and efficient,” he said at the meeting with forum participants.

“There are more active and less active formats of partnership on a bilateral level between member states, but we need to adopt a multilateral approach. From this point of view, I think that Azerbaijan’s efforts will be appreciated. We took this responsibility as a chair now. I am sure it will be successful,” noted the President.

In addition to transport, energy, and regional cooperation, President Aliyev reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s commitment to global environmental goals.

“As far as our contribution to the global climate agenda, I would say that Azerbaijan is an ecologically friendly country,” he said.

“We do not use coal, fuel oil to produce electricity. We only use hydropower and natural gas, and also from recent times – solar energy. By the way, our green agenda is very ambitious,” the head of state added.

The 3rd Shusha Global Media Forum is being held under the theme “Digital Transitions: Strengthening Information and Media Resilience in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” with participation from over 140 international guests representing 52 countries. The event runs through July 21.