The transfer of communications to an American company does not change the situation; the Armenian side loses sovereignty over this territory. This was stated by Serbian expert Miroslav Ivanović, deputy director of the Institute for Criminological and Sociological Research in Belgrade, in an interview with VECTORS.am.
“The issue of the Zangezur Corridor has been pushed by Azerbaijan and Turkey, contrary to the terms of the 2020 Trilateral Statement signed under Russia’s mediation. They have promoted the narrative of Azerbaijan’s right to the external part of the Zangezur Corridor, which effectively cuts through Armenia’s territory. Even if this corridor is handed over solely to an American company, the problem remains unchanged—Armenia loses sovereignty over this territory,” he emphasized.
This situation raises even greater concerns, particularly in light of provisions in the U.S. Constitution. Ivanović noted that, under amendments to the U.S. Constitution regarding the president’s powers in foreign military initiatives, every U.S. president is granted the authority to protect American interests anywhere in the world where U.S. property is located.
“If Armenia relinquishes sovereignty over the Zangezur Corridor, what will it gain in return? The return of Artsakh, the Lachin Corridor, or any other corridor connecting, for instance, the autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia? Or has Pashinyan, with this move, definitively abandoned Armenian interests in Artsakh? Or, under these circumstances, did he truly have no choice? There is a difference between the influence of the United States and Russia, but we must bear in mind that Russia will always remain a geographically close country, while the United States is geographically distant,” he concluded.
Regarding the potential signing of a framework document formalizing the 17 agreed-upon points of a peace treaty, the expert noted that the content of the discussions and documents that will form the basis of a peace agreement between Yerevan and Baku will soon become clear.
“It’s hard to say whether this will happen in the near future. Trump undoubtedly wants to be seen as a peacemaker while advancing American interests. The task for any U.S. president is to limit Russia’s influence—and not only that. Influence or control in the Caucasus signifies the U.S.’s geopolitical interest in encircling Russia. This is a critical part of the broader global geopolitical vector of West versus Russia, where, alongside the Western Europe-Russia axis, there is also a southern axis from the Caucasus to Russia. We must always remember the lessons of past years, particularly regarding events in Georgia. We will see whether Trump can resolve this issue independently, as, besides the United States, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, there are several key players—Russia, Iran, and Turkey,” he stated.