Edmon Marukyan, head of the Bright Armenia party, sharply criticized Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan's recent comments regarding Syunik, suggesting the president portrayed the issue as if Armenia had closed something and now ought to reopen it. Marukyan responded via his Telegram channel, clarifying that Syunik's gates are in fact open to Armenia, enabling access to Iran and, potentially, India.
"What should we do to stop our officials from uttering one embarrassing blunder after another?" Marukyan wrote.
He referenced Khachaturyan’s statement: “If we are able to open the gates of Syunik—I mean the 43-kilometer opportunity—then rest assured, the future holds great prospects for development.”
Marukyan countered, "Perhaps the president is unaware, but Armenia’s gates in Syunik are open. Through them, we enter Iran and can reach India. Everyone in the world knows our borders are blockaded by Azerbaijan and Turkey, yet the Armenian president presents the issue as though we’ve closed something ourselves and now must open it. Armenia has a gate, and it is open. But if we follow Khachaturyan's logic and start 'outsourcing' or 'leasing' it, we risk losing even that."
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in a recent press conference discussing the unblocking of regional transport routes and possible outsourcing of those corridors to other entities, stated that multiple options are being discussed with Azerbaijan to simplify passage, though no formal agreement or signed document currently exists. Pashinyan added that there are many known cases of outsourcing in Armenia today—some successful, others not.
