On March 5, a significant event took place for Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Nakhchivan.
The opening of the Iğdır-Nakhchivan gas pipeline was held with the participation of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Türkiye via video link.
In his speech, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that the opening of the Iğdır-Nakhchivan gas pipeline is an important day in the history of Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship and brotherhood. President Ilham Aliyev also recalled the laying of the foundation stone of the Iğdır-Nakhchivan gas pipeline in Nakhchivan together with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: "Today is an important day in the history of Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship and brotherhood – we are celebrating the opening of the Iğdır-Nakhchivan gas pipeline. As mentioned here, together with the esteemed President, we laid the foundation stone of this gas pipeline in Nakhchivan a year and a half ago and are now participating in this wonderful ceremony."
The separation of Zangazur from Azerbaijan and its annexation to Armenia
Touching on the issue of the separation of Nakhchivan, an ancient Azerbaijani land, from the main part of Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that the reason for this was the separation of West Zangezur from Azerbaijan and its annexation to Armenia: "As you may know, Nakhchivan is ancient Azerbaijani land. However, it has been separated from the rest of Azerbaijan for more than a century. The reason for this is that five months after the collapse of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1920, the Soviet authorities separated West Zangezur from Azerbaijan and annexed it to Armenia, thus interrupting the overland connection between the main part of Azerbaijan and its inseparable part, Nakhchivan"
Zaur Mammadov, an advisor to the Academy of Public Administration under the President and the chairman of the Baku Political Scientists Club, emphasized the historical truth about the separation of Zangazur from Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis. He explained: "In 1920, Zangezur was divided into two parts, with its western part given to the Armenian SSR. Later, we witnessed the entire Goycha region being transferred to Armenia. Additionally, some villages of Nakhchivan were also handed over to the Armenian SSR in the 1920s and 1930s. As a result, not only were the borders between Azerbaijan and Türkiye separated, but the borders of Zangazur and Garabagh with Iran and South Azerbaijan were also severed. Consequently, the Armenians' expansionist plans grew larger, and they began to invade Eastern Zangazur and Garabagh after occupying Western Zangazur and Goycha. After the 44-day war, a new situation emerged, and Eastern Zangazur, which was once occupied, was liberated."
A Century-Long Injustice
In his speech at the ceremony, President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that this century-long injustice has had a very negative impact on the lives of compatriots living in Nakhchivan: "When the First Karabakh War broke out, Armenia occupied Karabakh and, at the same time, kept Nakhchivan under blockade. Their plan was to occupy Nakhchivan as well. However, my father, Heydar Aliyev, then the leader of Nakhchivan, did not allow this to happen, and all the people of Nakhchivan mobilized their efforts to defend Nakhchivan, protect their native lands, and push the occupiers back. One of the reasons why Nakhchivan was not occupied at the time was that the “Umid” bridge, connecting Nakhchivan with Türkiye, was built, and the aid from Türkiye made a very significant contribution to the protection of Nakhchivan."
Zaur Mammadov emphasized the exceptional role of the strategic steps taken by National Leader Heydar Aliyev in the defense of Nakhchivan.
"Nakhchivan remained under blockade for a long time. The Armenians kept Nakhchivan under blockade in order to occupy these lands in the future. One of the main reasons for preventing the occupation of Nakhchivan and for it remaining part of Azerbaijan was the presence of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev there, as well as the steps he took for the development of Azerbaijan's independence, starting from Nakhchivan," the political scientist stated.
Iğdır-Nakhchivan Gas Pipeline - A New Stage in Nakhchivan's Life
In his speech at the ceremony, President Ilham Aliyev touched upon the oil and gas projects implemented between the two brotherly countries, Türkiye and Azerbaijan, emphasizing that the oil and gas pipeline projects, such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, and TANAP, not only connected the two brother countries but also redrawn the energy map of Eurasia: "Today, gas flowing from Azerbaijan through Turkish territory contributes to the energy security of many countries. Last year, Azerbaijan's gas exports reached 25 billion cubic meters, about half of which were exported to Türkiye. In addition to Türkiye, 11 countries, including 10 in Europe, are strengthening their energy security by purchasing Azerbaijani gas. The project we are inaugurating today will ensure the energy security of Nakhchivan. The gas coming from Azerbaijan will be transferred to Nakhchivan through the territory of Türkiye in the form of a swap and will save Nakhchivan from this problem."
According to the political scientist, the Iğdır-Nakhchivan gas project strengthens Nakhchivan's economic and geopolitical position by fully ensuring its energy supply with natural gas coming from Türkiye: "Today, the gas project extending from Iğdır to Nakhchivan marks the beginning of a new phase in Nakhchivan's life. This phase means that Nakhchivan will be fully supplied with natural gas from Türkiye, and Nakhchivan's needs will be met with natural gas coming from Türkiye. This has both geopolitical and geoeconomic significance. This will lead to the further strengthening of Nakhchivan's socio-economic situation," said Zaur Mammadov.
Another Proof of Azerbaijan-Türkiye Brotherhood
President Ilham Aliyev, in his speech, particularly emphasized the importance of Azerbaijan-Türkiye brotherhood and alliance: "Our joint energy initiatives have also enabled the implementation of transport projects. Today, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which connects Türkiye with Azerbaijan, provides great advantages both for our countries and for a wider region. This transport link has tremendous significance and benefits, especially in terms of uniting the Turkic world. Naturally, the unity and brotherhood between Türkiye and Azerbaijan make a great contribution to the entire Turkic world. My dear Brother, the esteemed President, has played an immense role in the unification of the Turkic world. Under his leadership, Türkiye has achieved great successes and created new opportunities for closer Turkic unity. Azerbaijan has always attached great importance to the unification of the Turkic world and has spared no effort to ensure this unity, make it eternal, and establish relations based on common interests and shared history."
In his speech, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also noted that the relations between the two brotherly countries have been constantly developing in a wide range of areas from defense to trade: "We are making tremendous progress in all areas of our brotherly relations, which are based on the slogan “One nation in two states”. The relations between our countries are continuously developing in a wide range of areas from defense to trade. It is beyond doubt that the energy sector, which we have crowned with many projects, is at the forefront of this cooperation. Just like the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan crude oil pipeline, which some consider a dream, we have managed to take our energy cooperation further by commissioning the Shah Deniz field and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipeline. We are experiencing the joy of delivering a large amount of Azerbaijani gas to Europe through the natural gas pipeline passing through Anatolia – TANAP. We are in full agreement with Azerbaijan on implementing strategic and extraordinary projects in this field."
Zaur Mammadov noted that the steps taken within the framework of strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Türkiye, particularly the Shusha Declaration, the opening of the gas pipeline, and the prospects of the Zangazur Corridor, demonstrate that the two brotherly countries are progressing together on the path of security and economic development.
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"This new project further proves the Azerbaijan-Türkiye brotherhood. After the 44-day war, Azerbaijan set new strategic goals with the signing of the Shusha Declaration. Concrete steps have been taken to realize these goals – important measures have been taken in the fields of military security, energy security, as well as political and economic security. As a result of these steps, we will witness Azerbaijan achieving even greater successes in the future. The opening of the gas pipeline is one of the important stages of this process, and following it, we will also witness the opening of the Zangezur Corridor," said the political scientist.
Zangezur Corridor
The political scientist emphasized that the commissioning of the gas pipeline and the opening of the Zangazur Corridor will contribute to the establishment of free connections between Azerbaijan and Türkiye, the unity of the Turkic world, and the development of future strategic projects: "The Zangezur Corridor, regardless of what anyone desires, will become a reality. Finally, the populations of Azerbaijan and Türkiye will be able to freely travel through these ancient Turkic lands. In doing so, we will witness the unification of the entire Turkic world. This process will also lay the foundation for the realization of joint projects in the future."
