By Ani Ohanian and Ruzanna Stepanian
YEREVAN (Azatutyun) — Azerbaijan may take advantage of the military conflict between Iran and Israel to invade Armenia in a bid to open a land corridor to its Nakhichevan exclave, according to Armenian opposition leaders.
The so-called “Zangezur corridor” sought by Baku but strongly opposed by Tehran would pass through Syunik, the only Armenian region bordering the Islamic Republic. Iranian leaders have repeatedly warned against attempts to strip Iran of its common border with Armenia.
The ongoing conflict triggered by Israel’s June 13 strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and military sites stoked fears of an Azerbaijani attack in Armenia. The Armenian government has signaled no such concerns, however.
Prompting opposition criticism, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did not cancel his participation in an international conference in Prague on Friday, June 13, and flew to the Czech capital right after the outbreak of the conflict. As of June 16, Pashinyan did not convene an emergency session of Armenia’s Security Council to discuss the situation in and around Iran and its implications for Armenia. The secretary of the council, Armen Grigoryan, said on Friday that Yerevan has “no information” about possible Azerbaijani military aggression.
“If there is a large-scale military conflict in the region, Azerbaijan could use this opportunity to … launch another aggression against Armenia,” said Hayk Mamijanyan, the parliamentary leader of the opposition Pativ Unem bloc. He pointed to Azerbaijan’s close military ties with Israel.
