Azerbaijan ends restrictions on cargo transit to Armenia
BAKU
Azerbaijan has officially removed all barriers to cargo transit to Armenia, President Ilham Aliyev announced on Oct. 21, marking a significant step in improving ties between the two neighbors after nearly four decades of tension.
Aliyev told Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev that a shipment of Kazakh grain through Azerbaijan to Armenia represented the first such transit since the late Soviet era, when disputes first erupted.
“This demonstrates that the peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia is no longer theoretical but increasingly tangible,” Aliyev said.
Hikmet Hajiyev, Aliyev’s foreign policy advisor, noted that the shipments will pass through Georgia, describing the corridor as “an economic benefit stemming from peace.”
An Armenian government spokesperson praised the move, calling it “a key step in reopening regional communication, fostering mutual trust and institutionalizing the peace framework between the two countries.”
Armenia and Azerbaijan were embroiled in a bitter conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh from the late 1980s. The region had operated with de facto independence for three decades until Azerbaijan regained full control in 2023.
The neighbors reached a U.S.-brokered peace deal in August, although formal ratification still faces obstacles, including Azerbaijan’s demand for constitutional amendments in Armenia.
Armenia expects major progress with Türkiye
Meanwhile, the normalization efforts between Armenia and Türkiye continue to advance, as the Armenian top diplomat said on Oct. 21 he expects important advancements in bilateral relations in the coming weeks.
Speaking to press on Oct. 21, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized that dialogue between the two countries is ongoing across multiple levels, including heads of state, foreign ministers, special representatives and technical teams.
“I see no obstacles to the opening of the Armenia-Türkiye border or the establishment of diplomatic ties.”
