Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, during a meeting in Brussels today with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, reiterated his claim that the so-called Zangezur Corridor linking Nakhijevan with the rest of Azerbaijan via Armenia’s Syunik Province is one of the conditions of the November 9, 2020 trilateral statement signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia that ended the 2020 Artsakh war.

"It is an obligation for Armenia to provide all the necessary conditions (for the implementation of the agreements," Aliyev said according to a Report.az press release.

Aliyev, according to the press release, also said that since there are no checkpoints along the Lachin Corridor linking Armenia and Artsakh, none should exist along the Zangezur Corridor.

"If Armenia wants to control cargo and people, we will open a customs checkpoint on the Lachin corridor," Aliyev is quoted as saying.

The Azerbaijani news outlet quotes Aliyev as saying that an agreement has been reached on the construction of a railway linking Azerbaijan with Nakhijevan via Armenia and that a highway will be built as well.

“The exact route of the highway has not been decided yet. This issue is for further discussion. We will definitely discuss it tonight during the trilateral meeting with Mr. Charles Michel," Aliyev is quoted as saying. (Here Aliyev refers to the scheduled meeting with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and EU Council President Charles Michel.)

Whether the 'highway' Aliyev refers to here is the same "Zangezur Corridor' remains unclear.

As for prospects of an Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement, Aliyev said the two countries must learn to live as neighbors.

"The main goal of our efforts is to reduce the risk of war in the region. The best way to achieve this goal is to unblock communication, to create an active dialogue, to learn to live as neighbors again. Azerbaijan is open to act in that direction. I think that when Armenia shows good will in that direction, we will be able to start working on a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan," Aliyev is quoted as saying.

Photo: APA