Description: Armenian President, Nikol Pashinyan hosted his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian in Yerevan where they discussed bilateral ties, economic cooperation and the recently concluded peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia under US mediation. The leaders discussed the administration of the Zangezur Corridor, a key trade route in the Caucasus which according to the provisions of the peace agreement would be under US administration under the so-called Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). Pezeshkian reiterated Iran’s concerns of being cut off from key land trading routes which pass through the corridor, while Pashinyan reassured the Iranian leader that the entire corridor would remain under Armenian administration despite being developed by US companies. The leaders also discussed the expansion of infrastructure projects and development of trade and energy ties.
Impact: The Caucasus has reemerged as a key geopolitical flashpoint in recent months as a result of the escalation of tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan ending with the US brokered peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The disputed Zangezur Corridor as a key trade route connecting several national economies such as Armenia, Iran, Russia, China and Azerbaijan and its administration is heavily contested by Armenia and Azerbaijan which led to several wars over the past couple of decades. The insertion by the US through the brokerage of the ceasefire enabled the entry of western geopolitical interests in a region predominantly occupied by Russia and China. Armenia is attempting to conduct a multi vector foreign policy, appeasing its newly found western partner while remaining cordial with its regional strategic ally in Iran, which could further complicate the power dynamics considering Azerbaijan’s disapproval of Armenia’s administration of the corridor.