Construction of an alternative road to Lachin corridor completed
Alternative road to Lachin corridor
Azerbaijan has reported completion of an alternative road to the Lachin corridor. The road will allow Azerbaijan to take control of the regional center of the Lachin region. Meanwhile, the Armenian population of the city of Lachin and towns located in the Lachin corridor are being resettled. Yerevan says that part of the new road passing through the territory of Armenia is not yet complete.
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Construction of the new road connecting the city of Khankendi (Stepanakert) in Karabakh with Armenia has been completed. This was reported by the Azerbaijani State Automobile Roads Agency (AAYDA).
Why does Azerbaijan need this road?
According to Azerbaijani experts, due to the passage of the Lachin corridor right through the city of Lachin, part of the Russian peacekeeping contingent is stationed there.
One of the goals of building an alternative road is to ensure that it does not pass through Lachin. Thus Azerbaijan will obviate the Russian peacekeepers in the city. But this does not mean the expulsion of the peacekeeping contingent; the Russian military will only move closer to the new road.
In any case, the alternative road may entail reduction in the range of movement of peacekeepers or their complete expulsion from the region in the future, experts say.
Resettlement of the Armenian population and the gas issue
According to the terms of the agreement between the Azerbaija and Armenia through the mediation of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation, by August 25 the Armenian population must leave the city of Lachin and the town of Zabuh (Aghavno), located in the Lachin corridor.
According to Azerbaijan, Lachin and Zabuh were settled by Armenians after the first Karabakh war on a preferential basis for new residents of these settlements.
Another issue is the passage of infrastructure from Armenia to Khankendi (Stepanakert) along the Lachin corridor – power lines, gas pipelines, communication lines. According to statements from Yerevan, all these issues have been resolved. The only problem will be supplying the part of Karabakh controlled by Russian peacekeepers with natural gas.
Armenia also says that the part of the new road passing through the territory of Armenia is not yet ready. While it is being built, the four-kilometer part of the road to the interstate border between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be unpaved.
About the new road
The alternative road to the Lachin corridor has a total length of 32 kilometers. Of these, 22 kilometers pass through Azerbaijan, AAYDA said.
According to them, the road was built in accordance with the “Construction Norms and Rules”, and corresponds to the third technical degree.
The road is two-lane, but in some sections three-lane (mostly ups and downs).
The width of the asphalt cover of the road is 7.5-10 meters.
On the road there is a bridge over a local river with a length of 149 meters.
Alternative road to Lachin corridor
