Erdogan has one plan: the Zangezur Corridor – Viktor Nadein-Raevsky

Speaking with Alpha News, Viktor Nadein-Rayevsky, orientalist and senior researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences, commented on the meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

“There is only one conclusion from this meeting, Erdogan will continue to seek the signing of an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. As Pashinyan said, 80% of the text is ready, and he is coordinating the rest. Pashinyan, of course, was interested in the opening borders, but nothing was said about it during the meeting. So, apparently, this is not the end of the story. These talks will definitely continue. Erdogan has one plan: the ‘Zangezur corridor’, which would allow him to connect with the rest of the Turkic world. This is the main goal. This is what Iran is against because Iran doesn’t need it.

Russia has the tools to put pressure on Turkey and its position, but I would not say that we are actively using them. But, nevertheless, we have such tools. Without Russia, Turkey cannot handle anything,” Nadein-Raevsky said.

According to the expert, Turkey’s mediating role in the Armenian-Azerbaijani talks is illogical since the mediator should be neutral.

“The point is that the mediator should be as neutral as possible. Only in this case can we talk about mediation. Turkey is entirely on Azerbaijan’s side, and moreover, it is an active participant in the 44-day war with Nagorno-Karabakh. This is fundamental; it is extremely important, so it would be wrong to expect a different position from them. The situation, in my opinion, is exactly like this, and we will approach this very carefully,” Nadein-Raevsky concluded.