ANKARA (Realist English). Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has declared that Ankara will prioritize the so-called “Zangezur corridor” as a key transit route for energy and logistics in the near future — without referring to Armenia by name. His remarks were reported by Azerbaijani media.
Currently, electricity flows from Azerbaijan to Turkey via Georgia. However, Bayraktar stressed that future plans center on a shorter and more direct path — running through southern Armenia and the Nakhchivan exclave, which is under Azerbaijani occupation following the 2020 war.
“Energy resources from Central Asia will reach Turkey via Azerbaijan and then be transited to Europe,” the minister stated.
The term “Zangezur corridor,” frequently invoked by officials in Ankara and Baku, refers to a proposed east–west transport route through Armenia’s Syunik Province. The corridor is part of a larger strategic vision aimed at bypassing traditional transit routes and establishing direct Turkish-Azerbaijani connectivity — a move widely perceived in Yerevan as a threat to Armenian sovereignty.
The Turkish government’s rhetoric underscores a continued effort to reshape regional transport and energy networks without Armenia’s active participation or consent. The push for the “Zangezur corridor” raises serious concerns over regional stability and the erosion of internationally recognized borders.
