The January 12 edition of the “Weekly News” program broadcast on the Russian state TV channel Rossiya 1 featured a number of untrue statements regarding Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and regional communications.
Zangezur Corridor and the Crossroads of Peace
During the program, Dmitry Kiselyov, Director General of the “Rossiya Segodnya” News Agency, while referring to Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and the opening of communications in the region, claimed that the Zangezur Corridor was agreed upon in the November 9, 2020 statement.
“This week, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan presented their positions on bilateral relations. Obvious tension. The reason is the lack of progress in negotiations between the countries on a peace treaty and the settlement of border disputes. Amid this, the need for the construction of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” highway, which was agreed upon on November 10, 2020 by Putin, Aliyev and Pashinyan in a trilateral agreement following the Armenian-Azerbaijani war, remains vital for Azerbaijan,” Kiselyov noted, then recalled Aliyev’s threatening statement that “the “Zangezur Corridor” must and will be opened.”
Note that Dmitry Kiselyov repeatedly mentions November 10 as the date of adoption of the trilateral statement in his speech. In this case, the Russian presenter is also mistaken, since the statement was adopted on November 9, 2020.
However, the claim about an agreement on the “Zangezur corridor” is false, since the November 9 statement does not contain the phrase “Zangezur corridor.” Clause 9 of the statement only states that “all economic and transport links in the region shall be unblocked. The Republic of Armenia shall guarantee the safety of transport communication between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic with a view to organize the unimpeded movement of citizens, vehicles and cargo in both directions.”
Dmitry Kiselyov also stated that Nikol Pashinyan completely ignored both the obligations undertaken in the trilateral agreement of November 9, 2020, and Ilham Aliyev’s demand to open the Zangezur corridor, and instead of the previously agreed decision, proposed his own project, the “Crossroads of Peace,” in the fall of 2023.
The “Crossroads of Peace” project was introduced by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Silk Road international conference held in Tbilisi in October 2023. The key purpose of the project is the development of communications between Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran through the repair, construction, and operation of roads, railways, pipelines, cables, and power lines. It has 4 principles, but the first two are vital for Armenia:
- All infrastructure, including roads, railways, airlines, pipelines, cables, and power lines shall operate under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the countries through whose territory they pass.
- Each country, through its state institutions, shall exercise border and customs control on its territory, as well as ensure the security of the infrastructure, including the passage of cargo, vehicles, and people through them.
Thus, according to the statement of November 9, 2020, there is no agreement on the Zangezur Corridor, and the “Crossroads of Peace” project does not contradict that statement.
As for the violation of the obligations of the November 9 statement, in fact, some clauses were violated, but the Armenian side was not the one to have violated them. According to clause 1 of the statement, after the ceasefire, the parties were supposed to stop at their current positions. However, on December 12, units of the Azerbaijani armed forces launched an attack on two villages in Hadrut, as a result of which they also came under the control of Azerbaijan. On March 24, 2022, the Azerbaijani armed forces entered the village of Parukh in the Askeran region, which was under the control of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.
According to clause 6, the land link between Nagorno-Karabakh and the Republic of Armenia was to be ensured through the Lachin corridor and it would remain under the control of the Russian peacekeeping contingent. However, on December 12, 2022, Azerbaijani environmentalists blocked the Lachin corridor, and already on April 23, 2023, the State Border Service of Azerbaijan installed a border checkpoint on the border with Armenia on the Lachin-Stepanakert road. On September 19, the Azerbaijani armed forces violated the ceasefire along the entire line of contact followed by the forced displacement of Artsakh residents on September 24. The Russian peacekeeping contingent did not interfere in this in any manner.
According to clause 8 of the statement, an exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detained persons and corpses of the deceased persons was to take place. However, Armenian prisoners of war continue to be held in captivity in Baku. Azerbaijan confirms the presence of about 23 Armenian prisoners of war, despite the fact that the Armenian side has factual data on the presence of another 32 prisoners.
According to clause 7 of the statement, internally displaced persons and refugees should return to the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent regions under the supervision of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. After September 2023, Artsakh has been completely depopulated of Armenians, and the Russian peacekeeping contingent has left Nagorno-Karabakh.
Elaborating on the topic of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, Kiselyov quotes Aliyev’s words that “Armenia is a fascist country,” and notes that Pashinyan responded to this with reciprocity, distorting Pashinyan’s response. Nikol Pashinyan, responding to the Azerbaijani President’s accusation that “Armenia is a fascist country,” noted: “Perhaps Baku is attempting to form “legitimacy” for escalation in the region. Aggressive statements are being made with the expectation that aggressive responses will be heard from Yerevan, which will give Baku the opportunity to make more aggressive statements, coupling this with the spread of false statements about ceasefire violations by the Armenian army in order to develop a “justification” for new escalation in the region. We will not take this path, we will remain committed to the peace strategy and will consistently continue the execution of the peace agenda.”
By the way, Kiselyov also notes in his speech that Armenia is receiving a large batch of weapons from France, adding, “it is obvious that Armenia is preparing for war.” Meanwhile, the Armenian side has repeatedly stated that the weapons it is purchasing from various countries are exclusively defensive.
The EU accession process and the Armenian Government Decision to support it
“Armenia is starting the process of joining the European Union. The government in Yerevan has already prepared a corresponding bill,” Kiselyov announced.
At the January 9 government session, the draft law “On the launch of the process of Armenia’s accession to the European Union” was approved. Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized during the session that “this does not mean Armenia’s membership in the European Union in the literal sense of the word.”
The initiative to accede to the EU was part of the United Platform of Democratic Forces launched in 2024. A petition was initiated on September 16, and 50 thousand signatures were needed to include the issue of a referendum on EU membership on the National Assembly’s agenda. At its December 10 session, the Central Election Commission confirmed the validity of the number of signatures required by law submitted by the civil initiative on “the launch of the process of the Republic of Armenia’s accession to the European Union.” The number of valid signatures was 52,351.
Thus, Kiselyov’s claim that the Armenian government has developed a bill for accession to the European Union is incorrect, since the initiative for accession to the EU was initiated by the extra-parliamentary United Platform of Democratic Forces. In connection with this broadcast by Dmitry Kiselyov, the Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. He was handed a note of protest with respect to the remarks made during the broadcast against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia.
Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, in turn, stated on January 15 that the Television and Radio Commission may block Dmitry Kiselyov’s “Weekly News” program on the Rossiya 1 TV channel. Earlier, in 2024, the broadcast of two programs authored by Vladimir Solovyov was blocked in Armenia on almost the same grounds.
Syuzanna Hambardzumyan