BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 6
By Jani Babaeva – Trend:
Zangazur corridor is important for both Azerbaijan and Armenia, a Russian economist and the Head of New Society Institute Vasily Koltashov, told Trend on Nov. 6.
According to Koltashov, the Zangazur corridor will allow Armenia to realize its potential in the transit economy. He notes that Armenia needs to activate and simplify economic ties with neighboring countries.
"Providing the work of one corridor, it will be possible to integrate into other programs, create and initiate them. That is, work to ensure that the Armenian economy is more involved in the integration and trade processes in Eurasia," Koltashov said.
Also, according to the expert, the opening of the Zangazur corridor will give Armenia a number of advantages.
"The fact that transit provides opportunities for profit is a fact. Transit economies have always had more chances for development. Transit provides additional opportunities due to the fact that flows of people and goods pass through the territory. It would be beneficial for Armenia if these flows turn out to be as large as possible. The Zangazur corridor assumes that there will be parking lots, gas stations, repair shops, stores, cafes, if the flow of goods is large, and it will undoubtedly increase. This is one of the new opportunities for the Armenian economy with its mass of problems," Koltashov said.
The expert also stressed that for Armenia, economic interests should be in the first place, and only then - issues of political relations.
The well-known Ukrainian expert-economist Oleksandr Okhrimenko notes that there are politicians in Armenia who want to continue the confrontation and the launch of the Zangazur corridor is perceived as "betrayal".
“This is the main problem when political intrigues and squabbles do not allow solving the problems of this region, even if from the point of view of economics, the solutions lie on the surface,” the expert said.
Considering the role of the Zangazur Corridor from both an economic and a political point of view, Okhrimenko says that from an economic point of view, indeed, the Zangazur corridor is needed for the Armenian economy and will help it survive the crisis associated with the coronavirus.
“The Zangazur Corridor could be an opportunity to attract investment, create new jobs and restore industrial enterprises. This corridor will create great opportunities for Azerbaijan, Turkey and Armenia to restore economic ties,” he notes.
He added that, in particular, the Zangazur Corridor will help Armenia integrate into the regional economy. In general, the opening of communications and the establishment of economic ties in the region are the main factors that will contribute to the establishment of peace.
After Azerbaijan's victory in the second Karabakh war, new realities have formed in the region. One of their important elements is the Zangazur Corridor. Although the issue of the corridor remained relevant in Soviet times, the Armenian leadership prevented its opening.
The current situation created by Azerbaijan in the region has made the opening of this corridor a reality. The implementation of the Zangazur corridor is one of the important projects for the development of the region as a whole. The Zangazur corridor will not only allow restoring the road between the main part of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, but will also provide all countries in the region with the opportunity to benefit from it.