Aliyev's Claim in Meeting with Erdogan: Part of Armenia Should Have Been Part of Azerbaijan

Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, on Monday during a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, referred to the prospect of creating a land route between the two countries through Armenia. Armenia opposes the idea of such a route passing through its territory. The meeting between Aliyev and Erdogan took place in the autonomous region of Nakhchivan in Azerbaijan. Nakhchivan is a small region between Armenia, Iran, and Turkey. According to Reuters, Ankara and Baku want to establish a land corridor that passes through southern Armenia to connect it to Azerbaijan. Aliyev threatened in 2021 that he would create such a corridor 'whether Armenia wants it or not.' Senior officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have previously stated that they will counter any efforts to cut the land border between Armenia and Iran. Meanwhile, thousands of ethnic Armenians from the Nagorno-Karabakh region are fleeing their homes and historical lands following the entry of Azerbaijani forces into the area, attempting to reach Armenia. Hundreds have been killed and injured in the clashes resulting from the Azerbaijani army's assault. The symbolic choice of the location for the negotiations between Erdogan and Aliyev, which occurred less than a week after the Azerbaijani forces attacked Nagorno-Karabakh to regain control of the separated region, is likely to worry Armenian officials who have previously rejected the idea of the so-called Zangezur land corridor. In a joint press conference with Erdogan, Aliyev expressed regret that officials from the former Soviet era gave away part of what he claimed should have been Azerbaijani territory in the Soviet Union to Armenia. An influential Telegram channel associated with the Armenians of Karabakh, named 'Republic of Artsakh,' described Aliyev's remarks as 'ominous.' The statement said, 'The new goal of Azerbaijan and Turkey is Syunik.' Syunik is a province in southern Armenia through which such a corridor could potentially pass. Erdogan and Aliyev were supposed to visit military facilities in Nakhchivan and participate in the inauguration of a new gas pipeline. Previously, the United States expressed support for Armenia regarding Azerbaijan's military actions in Nagorno-Karabakh, emphasizing the need to maintain Armenia's independence and territorial integrity. Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, wrote on the social media platform 'X' on Saturday, October 1, 'I spoke today with Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan to express my concerns about the protection of the rights and security of the people of Karabakh. The United States will continue its strong support for Armenia and its sovereignty and territorial integrity.' Meanwhile, senior officials from President Joe Biden's administration have traveled to Armenia to assess the situation in the region. The leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh reported that 120,000 Armenians are leaving for Armenia out of fear of 'ethnic cleansing.' The U.S. expressed 'deep concern' over the 'rapid deterioration' of humanitarian conditions in the Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh.