ZENGEZUR'UN TARİHİ VE JEOSTRATEJİK DÖNÜŞÜMÜ

AVİM's Note: On 15 June 2026, a militant Armenian diaspora publication operating in the United States published a review of the book Armenian Historical Heritage of Material and Spiritual Culture of Nakhijevan. We hereby present, for your consideration, a research article offering a different perspective on this subject.

The Zangezur region, historically belonging to Azerbaijan, represents a geopolitical nexus in the South Caucasus where the integrity of the Turkic world was deliberately severed in 1920. This historical territory includes today's Armenia and Azerbaijan lands, specifically covering Gafan, Görüş, Karakilsa (Sisyan), Meğri, Zengilan, Gubadlı and Laçın districts. This paper comprehensively analyzes Zangezur's transformation, focusing on three major dynamics: the systematic ethnic cleansing of the Turkic-Muslim population (1897–1922) executed by Dashnak forces like Andranik and Njde, resulting in a dramatic demographic shift (from 53% Muslim to 10.2%); the geopolitical fragmentation enacted by the Bolshevik regime, driven by the Lord Curzon Project to permanently block the Türkiye-Azerbaijan connection; and the contemporary strategic realization of the Trans-Armenia International Transit and Trade Project (TRIPP), commonly known as the Zengezur Corridor. The strategic importance of the corridor is underscored by its necessity for securing the shortest route of the Middle Corridor. Legally grounded in the 9th Article of the 2020 Karabakh Statement, the TRIPP vision has evolved into a multilateral mechanism, initially supervised by Russia's FSB but later transformed by the 2025 US-Azerbaijan-Armenia Memorandum (“Trump Route”). This multi-polar oversight structure, involving a 99-year US engagement and international corporate control, is analyzed as a critical counterbalance to single-power hegemony, aiming to secure an unimpeded transit route crucial for the Middle Corridor and the regional integration of the Turkic States, which together possess a nominal GDP exceeding 1.1 trillion USD. Azerbaijan is fully capable of realizing all its strategic goals, including the opening of this corridor, as affirmed by Azerbaijani experts (Mamadov 10). The successful mission of revitalizing Karabakh and East Zangezur by Azerbaijan showcases its capacity for large-scale infrastructure and restoration projects (Bayramov, Azerbaycan, Karabağ'ın 1-2).