Robert Kocharyan: Azerbaijani president refused to sign the Key West agreement at the last moment

panorama>>am
Dec 27 2021

Armenia's ex-president Robert Kocharyan spoke about the difference between the so-called "Meghri corridor" connecting Azerbaijan to Nakhijevan across the southern Armenian region of Syunik which had beeen discussed during his tenure as president from the current 'Zangezur corridor' articulated by Azerbaijanis. Kocharyan's remarks came at a press conference on Monday. 

In his words, the first difference was that there was no Turkey in those discussions. Secondly, per Kocharyan, the discussions at Key West were around connecting Karabakh to Armenia though a corridor that would have the same status as Nagorno Karabakh itself. 

"My formulations have considered security provisions that the corridor should be at list 42 km wide to be secure and prevent the adversary's weapons and equipment. You may compare that option with current uncertainty around Karabakh both in terms of status and security. The difference was in that," Kocharyan stressed. 

Asked why the deal at Key West was not implemented, Kocharyan said: "Azerbaijani president refused to sign the agreement at the last moment in Key West. I have reflected on that in detail in my book. He said he can't even persuade his family members and confessed that he had overestimated his ability to influence the public opinion," added Kocharyan. 

"The option discussed in Key West regarding the Meghri corridor was about only granting a right to use the territory and that was a roadway as we didn't discuss railway communication at the time," said Kocharyan. 

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS