“In order to understand the role of transport corridors in the context of the Armenian Genocide, the Berlin-Baghdad railway megaproject, which was one of the important tools of Germany’s colonial strategy, is key,” he recalled this important historical episode in a conversation with 168.am. political scientist Vahe Davtyan.

The political scientist noted that the 2,500 km long railway line was intended to provide a direct connection between Germany and the regions rich in oil resources in Mesopotamia, including the territories of present-day Iraq, Kuwait, northern Saudi Arabia and eastern Syria, which were part of the Ottoman Empire at that time.

«A key hub in this system was the port of Basra, on the banks of the Shatt al-Arab River, which was seen as an outlet to the Persian Gulf. The project immediately came into conflict with the geopolitical interests of Great Britain. As a result, in 1913 Anglo-German-French negotiations on the status of the Persian Gulf and Kuwait stipulated that the railway should end at Basra without direct access to the Gulf. With this decision, Britain effectively reasserted its influence in the Ottoman territories, a fact whose long-term consequences are still noticeable later.

It is no coincidence that a number of Western researchers consider this very project as one of the structural prerequisites of the First World War. At the same time, the construction of the railway required enormous human resources. Since 1914, the Ottoman authorities began to conscription of Armenian men aged 16-60 into “labor battalions”, where they were involved in hard construction work, often subject to systematic extermination. In most cases, after finishing the work, they were simply killed on the spot.

In addition, the same railway network was also used as the main logistical route for the deportations. Armenians were transported to the Syrian deserts that way. Although the construction of the Berlin-Baghdad railway was completed only in 1940, already in completely different geopolitical conditions, its role in the process of organizing the Genocide and mass deportation of the Armenian population remains unmistakable.“, he elaborated.

To the observation that another infrastructure called TRIPP is being designed in our territory. where will it lead us, Vahe Davtyan responded, noting that historical experience is also important for understanding current processes.

«Today, the corridor being planned through Syunik should be considered not only from the point of view of economic efficiency, but also from the point of view of political consequences. Any “corridor” logic presupposes a functional reformulation of the territory, turning it into a zone where the priority is not the sovereign interests of the given state, but the strategic requirements of external forces. In the case of Armenia, a number of risks arise here.

First, the erosion of sovereignty, when control, security or management of infrastructure may fall outside national jurisdiction. Second, the deepening of economic and political dependencies within the country, when communication channels begin to work not for national development, but for serving the interests of foreign centers. And finally, the vulnerability of the security system, because such corridors often become a tool of not only economic, but also military-political pressure.“, the political scientist elaborated.

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