Armenia Prepares First Direct Commercial Export to Azerbaijan, Pashinyan Says

Armenia is preparing to send its first direct commercial export to Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Thursday, as the two countries begin opening economic ties after decades of conflict.

Speaking to reporters after a government meeting Sept. 3, Pashinyan said an Armenian company has already reached a deal to sell goods to Azerbaijan. He declined to identify the product or the businesses involved, saying the transaction should first be completed.

“I believe the first transaction has already taken place, but I would prefer for that transaction to be completed through its final stage,” Pashinyan said.

His remarks came after Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said Armenia was preparing its first export to Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan said a contract has been signed and a transaction made, but that the companies involved should announce the details once the remaining procedures are complete.

He said the government’s role is not to disclose private commercial agreements but to create conditions in which Armenian and Azerbaijani companies can do business directly.

“Our task is to create the political conditions for the business communities to work with each other and identify areas of mutual interest,” Pashinyan said.

The shipment would be the first direct commercial export of Armenian goods to Azerbaijan as Yerevan and Baku take steps toward establishing economic relations alongside the broader peace process.

Goods have already begun moving in the opposite direction.

Azerbaijan exported about $17.4 million worth of goods to Armenia from January through July 2026, according to Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee. The shipments largely consisted of petroleum products, including gasoline and diesel fuel.

The prospect of expanding trade was also discussed this week in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke about growing bilateral commerce during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

Armenian officials have publicly discussed potential exports to Azerbaijan since late 2025.

Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said in December that Armenian companies could potentially sell aluminum and aluminum foil, ferromolybdenum, livestock, fruits and vegetables, beverages and textile products to the Azerbaijani market.

Pashinyan did not disclose whether any of those products is part of the first deal.

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