Armenia’s Pashinyan on ‘Zangezur corridor’: Why are we creating dispute over words

We have signed and initialed documents. And when phrases are heard that are not in those documents, for example, “Zangezur corridor,” the question arises for us: Where does that phrase come from? Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this during the question-and-answer session with the government, in the National Assembly of Armenia Wednesday.

“Have we ever adopted a paper anywhere where there is such a phrase? There is no such thing. I asked a simple question, and said that it is worth clarifying what that is about. If in Azerbaijan they call, for example, the Horadiz-Zangelan road that way, we should ask ourselves there whether it concerns us or not. In the case of Armenia, it is Armenia that decides the names, in the case of Azerbaijan, [it is] Azerbaijan. This is recorded in this document also because we have recognized each other’s territorial integrity, the inviolability of borders. After August 8 [when Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed a peace agreement in Washington], it is assumed that we should approach the issues differently, look at them differently,” noted Pashinyan

“It is obvious that this phrase causes a nerve in our society. Now the question arises: why is it being used to cause that nerve? I say: there can be no other definitions of the territory of Armenia, and what I said is legitimate,” added the Armenian PM.

Speaking on the need to unblock regional communications, he emphasized that they should be opened without delay.

“Now we can start designing and building projects for [natural] gas pipelines, pipelines, power lines, cables. We should now start designing the railway and see what other infrastructures there are that we need to reopen. Why are we creating a dispute over words? Let’s go, implement on the ground what we have agreed on. We will do it immediately,” the Armenian premier said.