TEHRAN: Iran has issued a stern warning to Turkey and Azerbaijan, cautioning against exploiting Armenia’s current vulnerabilities to establish a land corridor that would connect Turkey to Azerbaijan through Armenia’s Syunik region, situated adjacent to the Iranian border.
An editorial in Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic newspaper, published on September 26, strongly cautioned both Turkey and Azerbaijan, asserting that Tehran would not tolerate such a development.
The warning followed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s suggestion, during his visit to Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave on September 25, that the two nations were determined to create a corridor from Nakhchivan, bordering Turkey, through Armenia’s Syunik province, leading to Azerbaijan. The Syunik province also serves as the link between Armenia and Iran.
The Islamic Republic newspaper’s report indicated that Azerbaijan is perilously close to crossing an Iranian red line. It cautioned that if President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan intended to proceed with this plan, he should expect a robust response that could result in significant changes in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital.
Territorial Dispute Between Azerbaijan and Armenia
Aliyev had previously expressed his frustration over Soviet-era decisions that allocated territory from what he claimed should have been part of the Azerbaijani Soviet Republic to the Armenian Soviet republic. This allocation resulted in the disruption of the land connection between the primary Azerbaijani territory and Nakhchivan.
The Islamic Republic editorial interpreted Aliyev’s remarks as implying a potential military offensive against Armenia’s Syunik province. This province shares a border with Iran, and Iran’s connection to Armenia passes through this region. An assault on Syunik and the establishment of the Zangezur corridor, as desired by Aliyev, would significantly jeopardize Iran’s interests.
This is a “red line” that Iranian officials have consistently emphasized and warned against, as it would involve altering the region’s geographical situation and border demarcation, thus affecting Iran’s national interests. Iranian authorities have engaged in extensive diplomatic discussions with officials from Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan and have conveyed explicit warnings regarding the consequences of pursuing this course of action.
