The Armenian government has decided in a meeting that the “Margara” checkpoint on the border with Turkey will be open from March 21 to March 31 for the transit of humanitarian aid shipments to Syria through Turkish territory.
“As a result of working meetings between representatives of the relevant agencies of Armenia and Syria, an agreement was reached to discuss the issue of providing humanitarian aid from Armenia to Syria. The adoption of this decision is due to the necessity of transporting humanitarian aid shipments to Syria from Armenia by land through Turkey,” the decision states.
This step raises a legitimate question: has the Zangezur Corridor been opened, that Turkey has decided to grant Armenia such transit opportunities?
Previously, Turkey firmly stated that normalization of relations with Armenia was possible only after the elimination of all regional obstacles, including the opening of the Zangezur Corridor. However, now, without any concessions from Yerevan, Ankara is effectively opening its doors to it. What is the logic behind such unilateral steps?
By agreeing to provide transit to Armenia, Turkey is effectively ignoring the fact that Armenia continues to obstruct the implementation of the Zangezur Corridor, a project of strategic importance to the entire Turkic world. A reasonable question arises: why should Baku wait for the fulfillment of agreements for years, while Yerevan gains access to Turkish territory without the slightest concessions?
It creates the impression that Ankara does not require Armenia to adhere to the principle of reciprocity. If Turkey takes steps toward Armenia today without receiving anything in return, does this mean it is ready to turn a blind eye to Yerevan’s continued attempts to block a strategically important project for the Turkic world? Will this not signal to Armenia that it can continue its policy of obstructing initiatives important to Azerbaijan and Turkey, knowing that there will be no consequences?
