March 12, 2022 - 11:02 AMT
MP: Turkey, Azerbaijan trying to open corridor through Armenia

Lawmaker from the opposition Armenia bloc Vahe Hakobyan believes Turkey and Azerbaijan are taking advantage of the Russian-Ukrainian war and doing everything to achieve their long-standing goal of getting a corridor through Armenia.

The Azerbaijani side has on multiple occasions raised the question about a "corridor" through the southern province of Syunik that would connect Nakhijevan to the rest of Azerbaijan. The Armenian side, however, has repeatedly denied being involved in negotiations for the provision of a corridor to Azerbaijan, stressing that they have only agreed to unblock transport communications in the region.

Hakobyan said on Friday, March 11 that the behavior of the Armenian government in such circumstances is "incomprehensible", Pastinfo reports.

"Negotiating with the Turkish side, talking about the era of peace is absurd. I wonder what our government is negotiating with Turkey in this situation," said the MP.

Hakobyan's remarks came days after it was announced that Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan would participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. Mirzoyan is already in Turkey where he has met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Azerbaijan, meanwhile, has been attempting to make Karabakh residents flee their villages in the past several weeks now. A civilian was injured in Azerbaijan's shooting from across the contact line on Thursday, the Karabakh police said. The man identified as Suren Baghdasaryan (b. 1971) sustained a back injury when doing agricultural work after a shell exploded in his backyard.