Aliyev is exerting pressure on Armenia, seeking maximum concessions – Alexander Krylov

Speaking with Alpha News, Alexander Krylov, Chief Researcher at the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), commented on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement that on Russian imperial maps there is no Lake Sevan, but rather Goycha, and that Azerbaijanis who lived in the Armenian SSR should return there not in tanks, but in cars.

“Aliyev constantly talks about this, and it’s unclear why it’s suddenly attracted attention now—perhaps because of the new celebration of the ‘Year of Western Azerbaijan.’ Recently, a large group of activists and members of the Majlis representing the ‘Western Azerbaijan’ community were honored in Azerbaijan. In Azerbaijan, this is the name given to the territory of modern-day Armenia. Consequently, they use Azerbaijani, rather than Armenian, names there: Yerevan is called Irevan, and they claim it was the capital of the Irevan Khanate, while the entire territory historically belonged to the Azerbaijanis,” Krylov said.

According to the political scientist, by making such statements regarding Lake Sevan, Aliyev is exerting pressure on Armenia, seeking maximum concessions from it, including on the “Zangezur corridor.”

“The Armenian leadership calls it the ‘Trump Route,’ while the Azerbaijani side continues to call it a ‘corridor.’ Essentially, the question is not the name, but who will control it: if it’s the ‘Trump Route,’ then the Americans; if it’s the ‘Zangezur corridor,’ then the Turks and Azerbaijanis. It was previously assumed that Russian border guards and security forces would ensure the route’s security—this was stipulated in the 2020 trilateral agreement—but the Armenian leadership abandoned this idea. If Yerevan manages to maintain control of the route, that would be good, but Baku demands that there be no Armenian inspections or guards,” Krylov noted.