Turkey’s high officials reiterated their call for Armenia to establish an extraterritorial corridor linking Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave.

Following a trilateral meeting with his counterparts from Georgia and Azerbaijan in Baku on Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized Ankara's anticipation of widespread backing for the opening of the Zangezur route and its importance in the efforts to “reestablish peace in the South Caucasus.”

In an interview released earlier, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu affirmed that the ‘Zangezur corridor’ would serve as an alternative to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. He highlighted that this route would not only function as a transportation corridor but also as a ‘unifying factor for the Turkic world.'

On March 14, Binali Yildirim, a former Turkish PM and the Chairman of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), also emphasized to reporters the necessity of opening the corridor.

“This is also reflected in the ceasefire agreement. After resolving the Karabakh conflict, Armenia has an opportunity to withdraw its country from the blockade. Armenia should amend its Constitution, abandon its aspirations for independence, and get rid of the Mount Agrydag symbol,” Yıldırım outlined.