The South Caucasus is witnessing a potential historic shift. After decades of frozen relations and geopolitical tension, recent diplomatic engagements between Azerbaijan and Armenia, notably their meeting in Abu Dhabi, signal a possible breakthrough. Central to this evolving landscape is the proposed opening of the Zangazur Corridor, a transit route that would reconnect mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave and reshape regional dynamics. To better understand the implications, we spoke with British geopolitical expert Neil Watson, who provided an in-depth analysis of the corridor’s potential impact on Azerbaijan, regional trade, and the broader geopolitical balance.

Q1: The Zangazur Corridor promises to reconnect Azerbaijan proper with Nakhchivan for the first time since the Soviet era. How significant is this for Azerbaijan, and what wider effects might it have on the region?

Neil Watson:
At first, if the Zangazur Corridor opens, it will reconnect mainland Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan for the first time since the Soviet period. This would bring strategic cohesion as Azerbaijan would gain uninterrupted access to Nakhchivan, strengthening national unity and enabling freer movement of goods, services, and people. It would also provide economic benefits, as improved connectivity would facilitate trade and infrastructure development in the western regions of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, boosting investment, tourism, and energy transit. Another important aspect is regional integration at a point when the South Caucasus could emerge as an independent and homogeneous entity on the world stage. The corridor would enhance Azerbaijan’s role as a transit country in Eurasia, integrating it more deeply into regional logistics and........

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