A map of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” has been published by a state-backed cartographers’ association in Azerbaijan, reportedly created using satellite imagery. The map was released both in Azerbaijani and English, according to Azerbaijani outlet APA.
Armenian Turkologist Varuzhan Geghamyan responded on Facebook, stating that Armenian place names were Turkified in the map and that there are no symbols indicating checkpoints or border controls along the proposed route.
“It’s a sad map,” Geghamyan wrote, adding that while the accuracy of certain recent reports remains unclear, their mere existence reflects intense information and geopolitical activity by Turkey and Azerbaijan aimed at asserting control over southern Syunik.
Geghamyan also referenced a recent report by Turkey’s opposition outlet ODA TV, which claimed Armenia's de facto government had agreed to transfer control over a 1,200 km² zone in Syunik — stretching from Meghri to Kapan — to joint Turkish-Azerbaijani administration, as part of the “corridor” plan. He also said a neutral zone near the Margara border crossing might be handed over to special Turkish administrative oversight.
“Regardless of how true this is right now, the fact that such narratives are emerging shows the scale of preparations happening in two neighboring, hostile states,” he wrote.
Geghamyan emphasized that in Turkey and Azerbaijan, daily media coverage, public campaigns, events, and infrastructure plans are all increasingly centered on the so-called corridor. The topic has become a part of Turkish official protocol, with visiting dignitaries congratulating local officials on the future opening of the route.
He concluded that this issue has become a key domestic political talking point in both countries and is turning into a clear and widespread public demand, particularly in Turkey and Azerbaijan, driven by pan-Turkic ambitions. “This will not lead to peace, and we must not ignore it,” he warned.
The article includes a link to the map and its English version.
Separately, former U.S. President Donald Trump recently announced in Washington that Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the U.S. had reached a formal agreement to launch the Trump Route, a corridor allowing Azerbaijan to access Nakhichevan while respecting Armenia’s sovereignty. He added the partnership could last up to 99 years, with possible renewal. Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan later clarified that no land had been leased, but rather construction rights were granted.
