Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday confirmed he is prepared to hand over control of the transit route linking Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave through Armenian territory to a foreign company. This controversial proposal, reportedly put forward by the United States, envisions an American firm managing the corridor—one of the most sensitive lifelines cutting through Armenia’s Syunik province.
Pashinyan acknowledged that during recent Armenian-Azerbaijani peace negotiations, Washington suggested hiring a private American company to oversee the movement of people and cargo along this route. While discussions remain ongoing and no agreement is finalized, the very idea of entrusting Armenia’s vital infrastructure to foreign hands raises alarm bells among many Armenian observers.
The Prime Minister spoke of creating a company responsible not just for transportation but also managing the underlying infrastructure—including railways, highways, pipelines, power lines, and telecommunications cables. Pashinyan claimed this entity would ensure security and operation, suggesting an outsourcing model akin to Armenia’s main international airport and some of its water and railway systems, which are already run by foreign firms.
“I don’t believe Armenia’s sovereignty or territorial integrity is compromised by such arrangements,” Pashinyan asserted, though critics beg to differ sharply.
Notably, under the proposed framework, Armenian border and customs officials might no longer inspect passenger and cargo traffic between Nakhichevan and mainland Azerbaijan passing through Armenian soil. Instead, technology would purportedly replace physical border checks—a concession that aligns with Baku’s long-standing demand to exempt this traffic from Armenian controls. Until now, Yerevan had firmly rejected these demands.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan’s extraterritorial corridor ambitions, recently noted that Yerevan has softened its stance, following his meeting with Pashinyan in Istanbul.
The corridor issue reportedly dominated the agenda of the July 10 talks between Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Abu Dhabi. Though official statements omitted explicit references, domestic critics of Pashinyan speculate he has conceded extensively to Baku in a desperate bid to cling to power.
Among those raising alarm is former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, who condemned the idea of transferring control of the Syunik corridor to a third party. “Pashinyan’s readiness to cede authority over this strategic route not only jeopardizes Armenia’s sovereignty but also sets a dangerous precedent,” Oskanian said. “It effectively turns a crucial artery through our homeland into a conduit subordinated to the interests of a state that continues to threaten Armenia’s security and existence.”
Adding further concern, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack disclosed that Washington has proposed a 100-year lease of the Armenian section of this corridor—a staggering concession that would amount to a century-long loss of control over critical infrastructure.
While Pashinyan’s press secretary, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, dismissed the lease idea as incompatible with Armenian law, the Prime Minister himself seemed to leave the door open. “What we call a construction permit under Armenian legislation could allow investments to become Armenian property after the contract expires,” he explained, attempting to downplay the gravity of a century-long lease.
In closing, Pashinyan urged Armenians not to fear the word “corridor,” arguing that corridors are common worldwide and do not necessarily threaten sovereignty. Yet for many, this linguistic reassurance rings hollow when the reality threatens to hand over a key transit route—carving through the nation’s very heart—to foreign and hostile interests.
