Turkey Breaks Ground on Rail Link to So-Called ‘Zangezur Corridor’

Turkey broke ground Friday on a railway connection from the northeastern Kars province to Nakhichevan as what a Turkish official called a link to the so-called “Zangezur Corridor.”

Despite assurances from Yerevan that a 27-mile stretch of road it agreed to lease to the United States would operate under Armenia laws, Baku and Ankara continue to claim victory on making their scheme to create a land corridor, which Azerbaijan dubs as the “Zangezur Corridor, through Armenia a reality.

Speaking the the groundbreaking ceremony on Monday Abulkadir Uraloglu, Turkey’s transport minister, said that the event marked one of the “concrete initial steps toward realizing the ‘Zangezur Corridor’ that will lead a mark on the entire South Caucasus and Eurasia.”

Official Yerevan offered what it deemed to be a response to Ankara by saying that only projects approved by the government of Armenia can be implemented in the country, not clarifying how a railway being constructed by Turkey would require Armenian government approval.

“The Kars-Igdır-Aralık-Dilucu railway line is far more than just a railway. It is a path that will resonate on the international stage, reinforce Turkey’s geo-strategic leadership, and pave the way for unity, prosperity and peace,” Uraloglu said, according to The Daily Sabah.

“It will strengthen Turkey’s export goals, broaden the horizons of our youth and bring smiles to the faces of our industrialists and tradespeople,” he added, explaining that the link will have capacity to carry 5.5 million passengers and 15 million metric tons of cargo a year.

“The Zangezur Corridor will strengthen economic cooperation between Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia and reinforce regional peace,” Uraloglu said, adding that the project will help open borders and normalize diplomatic relations in the Southern Caucasus.

“It will usher in a golden era for global trade, especially for countries involved in the Middle Corridor,” he added.

In response to Uraloglu’s statement, Armenia’s Territorial Administration Minister Davit Khudatyan told Armenpress on Friday that only projects approved by the government of Armenia be implemented in the country.

“Only infrastructure projects that are proposed, adopted, or approved by the government of the Republic of Armenia can be implemented on the territory of the Republic of Armenia. Such projects include the North-South, the Crossroads of Peace, and the TRIPP programs. Any infrastructure initiative that does not meet these criteria will not operate in Armenia,” Khudatyan explained.

Khudatyan said that Armenia is ready and interested in economic cooperation with Turkey and Azerbaijan, adding that the transport component of such cooperation is reflected in the Crossroads of Peace project of Armenia. He underscored that the TRIPP initiative, the “Trump Path for International Peace and Prosperity,” stems from that project.

According to the minister, preparations are underway for the launch of TRIPP and the opening of transport communications with Azerbaijan, in line with the declaration signed in Washington on August 8 by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the United States.

Khudatyan also reiterated Armenia’s readiness in the public domain to reopen the Gyumri-Kars railway with Turkey, emphasizing that this move would further enhance regional connectivity.

What Khudatyan did not clarify is if the railway being constructed by Turkey eventually will link, or have access to the TRIPP.