Pashinyan Welcomes Start of Trade with Azerbaijan, Says Border with Turkey to Open Soon

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has welcomed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s decision to lift trade restrictions with Armenia, calling it a major step toward regional cooperation. Speaking at the 2025 Tbilisi Silk Road Forum on Wednesday, Pashinyan said Armenia was also ready to begin allowing the transit of goods between Turkey and Azerbaijan through its territory.

The announcement is a significant shift in regional dynamics, following decades of closed borders and limited communication between Armenia and its neighbors. It came just one day after Aliyev stated that restrictions on Armenian trade would be lifted, and that the first shipment of Kazakh grain would be transported to Armenia from Azerbaijan.

“This is an extremely important announcement, and I would like to express my appreciation to the President of Azerbaijan for this step and to welcome the statement,” Pashinyan said. He noted that such an exchange of goods between Armenia and Azerbaijan would have been “unthinkable” only a few months ago.

Pashinyan went on to say that Armenia was “ready, not only politically but also technically, starting today, to ensure the transit of freight trucks through Armenian territory from Turkey to Azerbaijan and from Azerbaijan to Turkey.”

He added that the same approach would apply to the transport of goods between Azerbaijan and its exclave of Nakhijevan through Armenian territory. However, he admitted that “technically, we are not yet ready due to the lack of infrastructure.”

According to the Prime Minister, restoration works are required to reopen the rail links connecting the countries. “I am confident, and you can be assured, that these technical issues will be resolved within the next two to three years,” he said.

Pashinyan also referred to the planned route connecting mainland Azerbaijan to Nakhijevan, known as the Trump Route or TRIPP. “We confirm our determination to pursue efforts in good faith to achieve this goal in the most expeditious manner,” he said, though he did not specify when the project might be completed.

The move toward opening borders and trade routes follows the August meeting between Pashinyan and Aliyev in Washington, hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump. During that meeting, the leaders initialled a peace deal, though it has not yet been formally signed.

As part of this ongoing peace process, the current Armenian government and Azerbaijan have been working to normalize relations and reopen their long-closed borders for trade, transport, and other regional connections.

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