The Zangazur Corridor in the Context of Regional Security and Economic Interaction in the South Caucasus

Abstract

The study aims to comprehensively analyse the Zangezur Corridor as an infrastructure project of paramount importance for regional security and economic cooperation in the South Caucasus. The research employs systemic analysis, a comparative method, a geopolitical approach, and a case-study method, enabling a multidimensional examination of transport integration issues under post-conflict settlement conditions. The Zangezur Corridor - a 42-kilometre road and railway route through Armenia's Syunik Province connecting mainland Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan exclave and Turkey - has been identified as a central element in the geopolitical balance transformation in the South Caucasus. The project carries significant economic potential: its integration into the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor) could reduce China–EU cargo delivery times by 5–10 days and lower logistics costs by 20–25%. At the same time, the corridor implementation threatens Armenia's sovereignty, undermines Iran's transit role, and constrains Russia's influence in the region, which has been rapidly declining since 2022. Competing initiatives are analysed: Armenia's Crossroads of Peace concept, Turkey's Kars–Iğdır–Nakhchivan railway project, and Iran's Aras Corridor. Special attention is paid to the August 2025 Washington agreement brokered by the United States, which envisages US-operator management of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). The Zangezur Corridor stands at a crossroads between two possible scenarios - an economic integration corridor or a new geopolitical confrontation front. Its fate will be determined not only by infrastructure construction but also by the capacity of the involved parties to achieve a balanced regime of sovereignty, security, and economic benefit.