Armenia Cornered Into Unfavorable Deal as Pashinyan Claims ‘No Alternative’
/ Go to the mediabankNikol Pashinyan. File photo
/ Go to the mediabank
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s acceptance of Azeri President Ilham Aliyev’s demands offers no guarantee that new ones won’t follow, Migran Shahzadeyan, Chairman of the Board of the Armenian Association of Political Scientists, tells Sputnik.“This is a common practice in conflict negotiations. The Armenian side is being forced into this path, allegedly due to the lack of a better alternative — what international practice calls the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA),” Shahzadeyan says .Does he really lack an alternative? Pashinyan’s actions reveal a striking lack of professionalism His government seems unaware of international law, lacks diplomatic skills and has no strategic vision Many suspect external influence and attempts to mask a plan of creating an ‘extraterritorial’ Zangezur corridor Talk of outsourcing control over Armenian infrastructure clearly violates the Republic’s sovereignty and international legal norms
Zangezur Corridor
Who benefits? Not Armenia and not even Azerbaijan, but Turkiye and the US.
“People often think of the Zangezur corridor as an Azerbaijani demand, but its biggest strategic value lies with Turkiye,” Shahzadeyan says. “It offers the shortest and most direct access to the Caspian and Central Asia — enabling control over East–West trade routes from China.”
“Through Turkiye, Washington is advancing its confrontation with China, Russia and Iran.”
Crossroads of Geopolitical Rivalries
“Pashinyan keeps promoting his ‘Crossroads of Peace’ vision for the South Caucasus. But this region has become a crossroads of geopolitical rivalries, not peace,” Shahzadeyan warns. “It is a critical hub for land-based transport, energy routes, and infrastructure — a space where the interests of Russia, Iran, and China clash with those of Turkiye and the collective West.”
AnalysisPashinyan Selling Off Armenia’s Sovereignty to the West: Here’s What It Means for South Caucasus7 August, 13:15 GMT
