Washington and Brussels also want the Zangezur Corridor. But in what configuration?

The US administration has once again announced that one of its main priorities in the South Caucasus region is the opening of transport communications, which Azerbaijan calls the “Zangezur Corridor”.

“The United States is considering the possibility of creating a new overland route from Central Asian countries to world markets through the territories of Armenia and Azerbaijan, bypassing Russia and China,” said Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien at a hearing held yesterday in the Committee on Foreign Relations Senate.

“But if we can open a trade route through Armenia or Azerbaijan, then Central Asian countries will have access to world markets and will be much less dependent on Russia and China,” O’Brien added.

The transport route to Europe, passing through Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey, is the same “Zangezur corridor”, the importance of the opening of which Washington spoke before.

Ahead of his visit to Baku in June of this year, James O’Brien noted that achieving peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia and opening transport communications that would create a trade route bypassing Russia are important not only for the countries of the South Caucasus, but also for other states, including the post-Soviet republics of Central Asia.

Of course, Washington does not want the railway route connecting Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan through the south of Armenia, that is, through Zangezur, and further to Turkey, to be under the control of the Russian FSB, as stipulated in the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020. The US interest is in opening this corridor for Central Asian countries to enter European markets through Azerbaijan and Armenia, that is, bypassing the territory of the Russian Federation.

But for this it is necessary to conclude a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which will include the unblocking of transport communications. Hence the US interest in forcing peace between Baku and Yerevan, which is part of the American strategy to weaken Russia’s leverage in the South Caucasus.

It should be noted that the European Union is also acting in parallel with the United States in implementing this strategy. A Brussels statement issued yesterday said that Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, will leave today, August 1, for an official visit to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which will last until August 3.

“The visit of the head of European foreign policy is a good opportunity to reaffirm the EU’s commitment to developing relations with Astana and Bishkek, as well as with other Central Asian states,” the EU external affairs service said.

Borrell’s upcoming visit is another sign of the European Union’s increased interest in the Central Asian region, which became especially noticeable after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Let us recall that in November 2022, in an article written following participation in a meeting of the foreign ministers of the European Union and Central Asia in Samarkand, Josep Borrell emphasized that Brussels had a real opportunity to strengthen its position in this region.

“It is obvious that Russia, like China, has played and continues to play an important role in Central Asia,” Borrell noted at the time. “At the same time, it is clear that the region is seeking to diversify its relationships and considers the European Union the most suitable partner.”

One of the priorities in cooperation between Brussels and the Central Asian republics is the creation of a trade route bypassing Russia – the so-called Middle Corridor, the development of which is provided by the European Union with political and financial support.

As haqqin.az already wrote, on June 12, the European Commission and Kazakhstan jointly opened the Coordination Platform of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor in Astana to turn the Middle Corridor passing through Azerbaijan into an effective, competitive and sustainable trade route.

The decision to launch the platform was made at the investor forum on strengthening transport links between the European Union and Central Asia, held in Brussels in January this year.

Also in mid-June, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for the first time. One of the goals of the visit was to support the Middle or Trans-Caspian international transport corridor connecting China with Europe through the territories of Central Asia, the Caspian region and the South Caucasus.

link: https://haqqin.az/news/323798