The creation of the “Zangezur Corridor” was Azerbaijan’s initiative, and the connection of the main part of Azerbaijan with its “integral part”—the Nakhchivan exclave—was Azerbaijan’s long-standing dream, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in Nakhchivan, local media report.

“We [i.e. Azerbaijan] were moving confidently and very skillfully, approaching this goal, and have already approached it,” Aliyev added.

He said that Nakhchivan will become an irreplaceable transport hub.

“Of course, the passage through here [i.e. the ‘Zangezur Corridor’] of supposedly 15 million tons of cargo, and perhaps a larger amount, will lead to great liveliness. More jobs will be created, economic activity will increase, and Nakhchivan, I can say, will become one of the irreplaceable transport hubs. It is completely possible," the Azerbaijani president stated.