AZE.US
For Azerbaijan, the central issue is not whether a future transport route is framed through Moscow or Washington, but whether it delivers a stable connection with Nakhchivan, political analyst Ilgar Velizade said in an interview with the YouTube channel Exo Baku.
Velizade argued that Baku’s position is ultimately shaped by practical interests rather than geopolitical branding. In his reading, Azerbaijan’s priority is to ensure regular transport communication between the country’s western regions and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Who else uses that route, whether Russia, Turkey, Iran or other regional players, is a secondary question compared with the strategic need to restore that direct link.
He said this is why it is misleading to describe the issue as a choice between a “Moscow option” and a “Washington option.” For Baku, he suggested, the route is first of all an Azerbaijani national interest project. If additional transit flows from other countries later increase Azerbaijan’s role as a regional corridor and generate extra revenue, that would be an added benefit rather than the core objective.
Velizade also separated the transport question from the broader peace process with Armenia. According to him, the peace treaty, the unblocking of communications, and border delimitation and demarcation are three different tracks that may proceed in parallel but should not be collapsed into a single issue. At this stage, he said, preserving the peace agenda and building a formal political basis for it through a peace agreement remains the more urgent task.
At the same time, he made clear that Azerbaijan is not ignoring delays around regional transport projects. Velizade expressed skepticism about the pace of work on the route discussed through Armenia, saying there is still little visible evidence of concrete implementation, including project work, contractors or a clear construction timeline. In contrast, he suggested that the Iran direction currently looks more tangible because visible infrastructure work is already underway there.
His broader point was that Baku is approaching the regional map through security, connectivity and economic calculation, not symbolism. From that perspective, the key question is not which outside power gets political credit, but whether Azerbaijan secures a workable and predictable transport corridor to Nakhchivan without derailing the wider peace track.
AZE.US