Pashinian’s government rejected, at least until recently, Azerbaijani demands for people and cargo transported to and from Nakhichevan to be exempt from Armenian border checks. But it also expressed readiness to put in place “simplified procedures” for Armenian-Azerbaijani border crossings and cargo transit.
The government sent relevant proposals to Baku last October. It still refuses to publicize them. Parliament speaker Alen Simonian stoked speculation about the nature of those proposals on Tuesday when he said that Yerevan is prepared to guarantee “unhindered” traffic between Nakhichevan and the rest of Azerbaijan.
“Whatever that road is … they [Azerbaijan] will call it a corridor,” Simonian said, echoing Pashinian’s comments made at a news conference earlier this month.
Faced with an opposition outcry, the controversial speaker tried to walk back on his statement on Wednesday, saying that Pashinian’s administration continues to oppose the “Zangezur corridor” sought by the Azerbaijani side.
Opposition leaders were unconvinced by Simonian’s assurances. They voiced more concerns on Thursday after two other senior pro-government lawmakers pointedly declined to say whether the proposals sent to Baku stipulate that Azerbaijani travelers and cargo will be checked by Armenian border and customs officers.
“I do not find it appropriate to answer your question at the moment because negotiations are underway,” one of those lawmakers, Artur Hovannisian told reporters.
“Any cargo passing through the territory of Armenia must be subject to a certain level of control, if not inspection, meaning that Armenia must know what is passing through its territory,” said the other parliamentarian, Arman Yeghoyan.
Commenting on Hovannisian’s and Yeghoyan’s remarks, Gegham Manukian, a lawmaker representing the main opposition Hayastan alliance, said the government thus does not rule out the extraterritorial nature of the would-be transport links for the Azerbaijani exclave.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev renewed last month his threats to open the “Zangezur corridor.” His foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the Armenian proposals on the matter have no “practical significance.”