Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Armenia on Monday to sign key documents on cooperation and discuss Washington’s potential presence in the region.
Speaking to reporters in Tehran prior to the visit, Pezeshkian expressed serious concerns over the presence of US firms in the region as part the land corridor, dubbed ‘Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity’ (TRIPP), that will link Azerbaijan to its exclave Nakhchivan via southern Armenia. The Armenian part of the corridor - a 27-mile road in the Syunik region - will be leased to a US consortium, which will oversee the movement of goods and people.
“Past experience showed that some of these companies have carried out unexpected and undesirable actions under the guise of commercial activities,” Pezeshkian said. “For this reason, we will have serious discussions regarding the concerns and challenges related to this issue.”
Furthermore, Pezeshkian said “During this visit, important memoranda of understanding and agreements will be signed, opening new horizons for preparing the appropriate economic and social ground in the country, which will be beneficial to the progress and advancement of our dear nation.”
The agreement on the opening of TRIPP road, formerly known as Zangazur corridor was signed between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in the presene of Donald Trump in Washington on August 8. The new corridor threatens to cut off Iran access to Armenia and increase US influence in the region.
Prior to Pezeshkian’s visit, Iran’s Foreign Minister Masoud Araghchi told IRNA news agency said Tehran’s “main concern is that no changes take place in the geopolitics of the region, that no foreign forces enter the region.” “Another concern is that this road could become an excuse for the presence of American forces in the region,” he said, explaining that Pezeshkian’s visit was aimed to “try to reach a reassuring mechanism in this regard.”
On Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the concern as a “sensitive” issue, saying it could “lead to geopolitical changes in the region”. Aragachi said Armenian officials have given assurances that no American forces or American security companies will be present in Armenia under the pretext of this route.
Earlier on August 9, Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said Tehran would block the corridor “with or without Russia”, and pledged to turn the area to the graveyard for Trump’s mercenaries”. Trump “thinks the Caucasus is a piece of real estate he can lease for 99 years”, Velayati told state-affiliated Tasnim News agency.
