Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is sending signals designed to place the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process back on the front burner. In particular, Pashinyan has expressed openness to exploring a modified version of the Zangezur corridor, which would establish a direct link between Azerbaijan proper and the Nakhchivan exclave via Armenian territory.

The corridor issue has proven a major stumbling block for the peace process. Last summer, both sides agreed to set the issue aside, but a few weeks ago, Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev unexpectedly restored Zangezur to the negotiating agenda, slamming the brakes on hopes that a peace deal could be finalized quickly.

Azerbaijan has demanded extraterritorial rights for Zangezur, something that would effectively extend Baku’s sovereignty over the route. Armenia has been wary of the very notion of a corridor, but at a January 31 news conference, Pashinyan appeared to adjust his position slightly, saying Armenia would be willing to establish a corridor under the same terms that Azerbaijan would enjoy on a planned railway via Iran to connect to its exclave. Extraterritoriality is not part of the Iranian route discussions.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan was cagey when asked about Armenia’s vision for Zangezur, repeating that Armenia wants to retain full authority over administration of the route, while holding out the possibility that Azerbaijan could enjoy some sort of special privileges. “Naturally, we also recognize that the 21st century is an era of simplifications and logistical facilitation, where all nations seek to ease transit procedures,” Mirzoyan told journalists on January 30. “With Azerbaijan as well, once transport links are unblocked, we foresee certain simplified procedures that could be applied, bringing benefits to both us [Armenia] and Azerbaijan.”

Pashinyan also announced that Armenia has made new proposals on two issues in peace negotiations that remain unresolved, including the possible withdrawal of cases currently pending in international courts. He similarly announced at his January 31 news conference a tentative willingness to explore the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, which oversaw peace negotiations for decades but whose influence has dissipated since Baku’s reconquest of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan has long accused Minsk Group members, especially France, of being biased in Armenia’s favor.

Pashinyan’s efforts to entice Azerbaijan back to the negotiating table are likely linked to a desire to create new trade possibilities. On January 30, he stated Armenia’s intent on joining a project facilitating the export of electricity from Central Asia across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan and onward to Europe. On February 3, Azerbaijan’s parliament ratified an agreement with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to generate “green” electricity and send it westward via a cable beneath the Caspian Sea.