Iran rejects planned transit corridor outlined in Armenia-Azerbaijan pact

Iran is distancing itself from state Russia arsenic it rejects planned borderline corridor backed by US President Donald Trump.

Iran has said it volition artifact a corridor planned successful the Caucasus nether a United States-brokered peace accord betwixt Azerbaijan and Armenia, which has been hailed by different countries successful the portion arsenic beneficial for achieving lasting peace.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a apical advisor to Iran’s ultimate leader, said connected Saturday that Tehran would artifact the inaugural “with oregon without Russia”, with which Iran has a strategical confederation alongside Armenia.

US President Donald Trump “thinks the Caucasus is simply a portion of existent property helium tin lease for 99 years”, Velayati told state-affiliated Tasnim News, referring to the transport corridor included successful the bid deal.

“This transition volition not go a gateway for Trump’s mercenaries — it volition go their graveyard,” helium added, describing the program arsenic “political treachery” aimed astatine undermining Armenia’s territorial integrity.

The presumption of the accord, which was unveiled astatine a signing ceremonial astatine the White House connected Friday, see exclusive US improvement rights to a way done Armenia that would nexus Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani enclave that borders Baku’s state Turkiye.

The corridor, which would walk adjacent to the borderline with Iran, would beryllium named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, oregon TRIPP, and run nether Armenian law.

Velayati argued that it would unfastened the mode for NATO to presumption itself “like a viper” betwixt Iran and Russia.

Trump, centre, brokered the woody betwixt Azerbaijan and Armenia [File: Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo]

Separately, Iran’s overseas ministry issued a connection expressing interest astir the antagonistic consequences of immoderate overseas involution successful the vicinity of its borders.

While it welcomed the bid woody betwixt Armenia and Azerbaijan, the ministry said immoderate task adjacent Iran’s borders should beryllium developed “with respect for nationalist sovereignty and territorial integrity, and without overseas interference”.

For its part, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs cautiously welcomed the deal, saying connected Saturday that Moscow supported efforts to beforehand stableness and prosperity successful the region, including the Washington meeting.

Similarly to Iran, however, it warned against extracurricular intervention, arguing that lasting solutions should beryllium developed by countries successful the region.

“The engagement of non-regional players should fortify the bid agenda, not make caller divisions,” the ministry said, adding that it hoped to debar the “unfortunate experience” of Western-led struggle solution successful the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Turkiye connected Saturday said it hoped the planned transit corridor would boost exports of vigor and different resources done the South Caucasus.

A NATO member, Turkiye has powerfully backed Azerbaijan successful its conflicts with Armenia, but has pledged to reconstruct ties with Yerevan aft it signs a last bid woody with Baku.

The Turkish presidency said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the bid statement with Ilham Aliyev, his counterpart from Azerbaijan, and offered Ankara’s enactment successful achieving lasting bid successful the region.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan besides addressed the planned corridor during a sojourn to Egypt, saying it could “link Europe with the depths of Asia via Turkiye” and would beryllium “a precise beneficial development”.

Armenia and Azerbaijan person fought a bid of wars since the precocious 1980s erstwhile Nagorno-Karabakh, a portion successful Azerbaijan that had a mostly taste Armenian colonisation astatine the time, broke distant from Azerbaijan with enactment from Armenia.

Armenia past twelvemonth agreed to instrumentality respective villages to Azerbaijan in what Baku described arsenic a “long-awaited historical event”.

Ahmad Shahidov, of the Azerbaijan Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, told Al Jazeera that helium expected a last bid declaration betwixt Armenia and Azerbaijan to beryllium signed successful the coming weeks.

Shahidov said Friday’s US-brokered woody constituted a “roadmap” for the last agreement, which appears imminent fixed determination are nary unresolved territorial disputes betwixt the 2 neighbours.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies