The United States has proposed to manage the planned transport corridor between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, made the relevant remarks during a briefing on July 12. In his words, US seeks to oversee the transport of people and cargo via the road through a private US commercial operator, which would serve as a neutral guarantor.
Barrack's comments mark the first official confirmation that the Trump administration offered to take over the 32 kilometres corridor that will link Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave via Armenia.
“So what happens is America comes in and says: “Okay, we’ll take it over. Give us the 32 kilometres of road on a hundred-year lease, and you can all share it,” Barrack said in a statement in New York.
The US ambassador’s remarks are in line with the earlier unconfirmed reports that the White House has proposed placing an American company in charge of overseeing the transit corridor. Shortly after these reports, US President Donald Trump said that Baku and Yerevan would reach a peace deal soon.
Commenting on reports of possible US involvement in oversee the transit corridor, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safarian said last week that the US administration of the road is possible if the plan complies with Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also confirmed the US offer, stating on 16 July that he had received various proposals and that “any issue is discussed based on the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty, and jurisdiction of Armenia.”
