Surrendering Artsakh to isolate Russia from the Eurasian energy market

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gains no advantage from having the phone number of US President Donald Trump. None at all. Not only did Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev state from the UN podium that TRIPP would provide unimpeded access through the so-called “Zangezur corridor” and promote regional ties, but US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright also revealed details of the agreements reached in Washington on August 8.

If we look at the essence of the agreements, they follow a formula: surrender Artsakh to isolate Russia from the Eurasian energy market. So, what exactly did the American official say?

“The Azeris have great reserves, and I think this corridor along the southern end of the border to bring Armenia and Azerbaijan together could allow more natural gas to come from Azerbaijan into Europe. I think that’s fantastic. So yeah, developing Azeri energy resources and getting them to markets around the world, and particularly in the opposite direction as Russia to European and Western markets, we think is a great future cooperation between our countries,” the secretary said.

First, we would like to reiterate that we are waiting for Pashinyan to call Trump and demand that at least American officials refrain from using the term “corridor.” Second, the statement by the US official proves that a number of assessments made by Armenian political analysts, politicians, international experts, and representatives of the Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran regarding the true nature of the “Zangezur corridor” project were accurate. The implementation of the “Zangezur corridor” project will lead to a blockade of Iran and Russia.

The US official’s remarks should be carefully examined by Iran’s secular authorities—ranging from former Ambassador Mehdi Sobhani to Foreign Minister and President Masoud Pezeshkian —who have expressed favorable views of the August 8 document. Apparently, they trust the American side, which has promised to overlook the construction of the Iran-Armenia railway in exchange for silence, as the confrontational nature of the project could also harm Iran’s interests in its bilateral relations with Russia.

In other words, Pashinyan surrendered Artsakh between 2020 and 2023 not only to push Russia out of the South Caucasus region, but also to isolate Russia from Eurasia’s energy markets.

As for Pashinyan’s apparent nervous reaction to the use of the term “Zangezur corridor,” the issue lies in its timing. Pashinyan knows that he has surrendered the corridor—one that will operate similarly to the Lachin corridor did from November 2020 to December 12, 2022 (i.e., without customs checkpoints. Pashinyan only wants to ensure that external statements do not obstruct his return to power in 2026. After that, Pashinyan will be ready to implement the agreements reached in Washington and Istanbul (it is worth noting that before his visit to Donald Trump, Pashinyan traveled to Istanbul in June to meet with Recep Tayyip Erdogan).

Think about it…