WANA (Aug 27) – Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in a recent interview that Baku has no intention of cutting off the border between Iran and Armenia, stressing that the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” poses no threat to Tehran.

 

Speaking about his ties with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and the future of bilateral relations following recent developments and the signing of an agreement in the U.S. to establish the so-called “Trump Route” (Zangezur Corridor), Aliyev highlighted close cooperation between the two leaders.

 

“President Pezeshkian has visited Azerbaijan twice. We have established very good working relations. He even has Azerbaijani roots—he is one of us. We speak the same language, without the need for a translator. He is a very talented person,” Aliyev said.

 

The Azerbaijani president described Pezeshkian’s presidency as “a good opportunity” for both nations, adding: “I believe our personal relations, as well as the ties between our governments, are very constructive and friendly.”

WANA - Pezeshkian's Trip to Baku (3)

Iran’s President Pezeshkian and Azerbaijan’s President, trip to Baku. President.ir/ WANA News Agency

Aliyev said his government views Iran’s official stance on recent regional developments as “logical and positive,” clarifying that by “official stance” he meant the positions of Iran’s president and foreign minister. “The opinions of former officials, now serving as advisers, are of no importance to the Azerbaijani government,” he noted.

 

Rejecting speculation, Aliyev insisted that the Zangezur Corridor carries no threat to Iran. “Rumors about Azerbaijan planning to occupy Zangezur or cut off the Iran-Armenia border are completely baseless,” he said, adding that if Baku had intended to do so, it could have acted as early as November 2020.

 

Aliyev recalled that over the past five years, while Armenia resisted the opening of Zangezur, Azerbaijan and Iran agreed to build an alternative route through Iranian territory, known as the “Aras Corridor.”

 

He noted that Baku invested heavily in constructing a bridge over the Aras River, covering some 40 kilometers inside Iran, to restore its connection to Nakhchivan.

Armenia, Azerbaijan sign peace deal

Armenia, Azerbaijan sign peace deal. Social media/ WANA News Agency

According to him, once the Armenian route is opened, both paths will operate for cargo transport, and if Iran completes its railway on its side, part of the freight will also move through it.

 

Addressing concerns about the North-South Transport Corridor, Aliyev said the Zangezur route will only “help facilitate” trade. He explained that the main North-South route runs from Northern Europe and Russia through Azerbaijan, into Iran, and down to the Persian Gulf, partly along the Caspian coast.

 

Aliyev underlined that the corridor inside Azerbaijan is already complete, connecting Russia’s border with Iran, but about 150 kilometers on the Iranian side remain unfinished.

 

He suggested the Zangezur route could serve as an additional path for the North-South axis, linking Northern Europe and Russia through Azerbaijan, Zangezur, Nakhchivan, and then Iran, ultimately connecting to the Persian Gulf railway.

 

“This means the corridor is not only East-West but also North-South,” he argued. “Instead of just one North-South route from Russia to Iran through Azerbaijan, there will be another via Armenia and Nakhchivan. I believe this is a win-win situation for the entire region, with no losers. I know the Iranian government understands this.”

 

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi reiterated Tehran’s opposition to any change in international borders, commenting on the U.S.-brokered “Trump Route” agreement signed at the White House between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

 

“The issue of a corridor is completely off the table,” Araghchi said. “What is now being discussed is a transit road under Armenian sovereignty and jurisdiction.”

 

He stressed that Iran has expressed its concerns clearly: “As stated by our Foreign Ministry, the presence of any foreign powers in the region can have negative consequences for peace and stability. We have consistently conveyed this to both Azerbaijan and Armenia and will continue to do so.”

U.S.-brokered Armenia–Azerbaijan deal on Zangezur corridor, named after Trump, raises alarm in Tehran. WANA - Zangezur Corridor The recent agreement between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, mediated by the United States, recognized the Zangezur Corridor as a key component of the peace deal.

Zangezur Corridor. Social media/ WANA News Agency