Azerbaijan-Armenia: Is the “Trump Bridge” in Zangezur a New Guantanamo?

Kokcha News Agency: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has flown to Washington for a series of high-stakes meetings, including a bilateral discussion with former U.S. President Donald Trump and a trilateral meeting with Trump and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The talks aim to strengthen strategic partnerships and promote peace, prosperity, and economic cooperation in the South Caucasus.

At the heart of the discussions is the controversial Zangezur Corridor, a transport route that would connect mainland Azerbaijan to its exclave, Nakhchivan, via Armenia’s Syunik region. While Baku insists on extraterritorial control over the corridor, Yerevan fears it could lead to a loss of sovereignty over part of its territory.

In July, U.S. Ambassador Thomas Barak suggested that an American company could lease and manage the corridor for 100 years. This proposal, however, has been met with skepticism, particularly from Armenia, which has demanded that any company managing the corridor also operate on its side of the border.

The Zangezur Corridor is not just a logistical project but a strategic move by Washington to secure a permanent presence in the South Caucasus, particularly along Iran’s northwestern border. According to reports, the “Trump Bridge” plan could involve the deployment of a private military company (PMC) with around 1,000 personnel in the Syunik region, effectively removing the area from Armenian control.

The corridor’s potential economic benefits are significant, with annual revenues estimated at $50 to $100 billion. However, these figures are seen as overly optimistic, and the project is more likely to serve as a geopolitical tool to reshape regional alliances, bypassing Russia and Iran.

Iran has expressed strong opposition to the project, viewing it as part of a broader strategy to isolate Tehran and weaken the Axis of Resistance. Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, has warned that the Zangezur Corridor is a cover for larger geopolitical projects aimed at undermining Iran’s influence in the region.

The Zangezur Corridor was first mentioned in the November 2020 ceasefire agreement that ended the 44-day war over Nagorno-Karabakh. The upcoming talks in Washington could lead to a revision of that agreement, effectively sidelining Russia and the EU while cementing U.S. influence in the South Caucasus.

As Armenia and Azerbaijan navigate these complex negotiations, the Zangezur Corridor remains a contentious issue, with far-reaching implications for regional security and sovereignty.