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Iran calls for maintaining unchanged borders in the Caucasus
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, during an official visit to Armenia on Tuesday, urged that the borders in the Caucasus remain “unchanged,” in response to a proposed transit corridor linking Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan enclave through Armenian territory.
The plan, part of recent negotiations between Baku and Yerevan, aims to establish a transit zone connecting Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan, a region bordering Iran. While Azerbaijan sees the corridor as a strategic link, Tehran fears it could reduce its influence in the Caucasus and create opportunities for greater foreign—particularly American—presence near its frontier.
“Iran supports peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Pezeshkian said after meeting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan. “But our position is clear: the borders in the Caucasus must remain unchanged. Entrusting regional issues to outside powers will only complicate matters.”
Pashinyan emphasized that any new corridor would remain under Armenia’s security control, not that of a third country. He stressed that “the inviolability of borders is of vital importance” for both Armenia and Iran.
The Caucasus remains a volatile region. Armenia and Azerbaijan, two former Soviet republics, have fought two wars over territorial disputes, most recently in 2020 and during Azerbaijan’s 2023 offensive that restored its control over Nagorno-Karabakh. Despite a U.S.-mediated ceasefire on August 9, disagreements persist over constitutional amendments and territorial claims.
For Iran, stability in the Caucasus is not only a matter of diplomacy but also of national security, as any geopolitical shift could reshape the balance of power in the region.