It should be noted that Azerbaijan is not sitting idly by. Thus, the tripartite summit of Baku, Tehran and Moscow will soon be held in Sochi, the agenda of which includes the construction of the North-South energy corridor, which should ensure the synchronization of the energy systems between Iran and Russia through Azerbaijani infrastructures. Energy security expert Vahe Davtyan believes that such a development of events will harm Armenia’s interests, as a situation is created in which the North-South Energy Corridor project with Armenia’s participation may simply lose its urgency. “In my opinion, this the aforementioned North-South Energy Corridor project, which will allow Armenia to act as a major electricity exporter and an important transit zone for electricity, can face the policy. Thus, the North-South is an integration challenge for Armenia, and the passive behavior shown towards it is unacceptable and extremely dangerous,” said the expert.

In terms of Armenia’s security, the construction of the North-South highway is equally important. This transport corridor has the most important strategic importance for Armenia. The 550 km long road will provide access to the Black Sea and European countries, providing a connection with Iran and Georgia. Moreover, this road will halve the sea route of cargo carriers from industrialized Asian countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea, provided that container ships pass through the Suez Canal, which has a very limited capacity. If we count the delivery of containers from those countries to the Georgian port of Poti the traditional way (bypassing the African continent), then it is reduced by 3.5 times. Just look at the map to see for yourself. With the development of our economy, cargo transportation through Iran and the Persian Gulf will decrease by 2-3 times, which will significantly lower the price of Armenian products both in our country and abroad. We can become a transit country for transporting goods from Asian countries to Europe through Georgian ports, significantly shortening their delivery route. The problem of building a railway connecting Armenia and Iran also lies in this dimension. Our neighbors were aware of the unprofitability of the railway line from Azerbaijan to Georgia took the step, knowing that it would further isolate Armenia, be a lever of pressure on Georgia and pass through the Armenian-inhabited areas of Georgia, thereby justifying the presence of Turkish troops to protect the railway where Armenians live.

The statements of some of our “experts” that these projects are ambitious and not profitable are worrying. But even if the implementation of these projects is not covered, we are still obliged to implement them, because the existence of energy and transport corridors fully ensures not only the economic but also the political security of Armenia.

Karapet Kalenchyan