Azerbaijan opens transit to Armenia, Pashinyan offers route to Turkey

Azerbaijan has opened a transit route for cargo shipments to Armenia from Central Asia and Russia. In response, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan offered a reciprocal route allowing Turkish goods to reach Azerbaijan via Goris.

Pashinyan proposed the Alijan–Yeghegnadzor–Sisian–Goris road, but its implementation requires reopening border crossings between Armenia and both Turkey and Azerbaijan. The Alijan crossing has been closed since 1993. Turkey has said it will not reopen it until a peace agreement is signed between Baku and Yerevan.

Baku’s priority remains the Zangezur Corridor. Infrastructure on Azerbaijan’s segment is nearly complete, but the 43-km Armenian section remains untouched. Negotiations on its governance are ongoing with U.S. mediation.

The proposed Armenian route would total about 630 km — nearly half the length of the current Georgia-based route (1,200 km). However, the Zangezur Corridor is expected to be 130–140 km shorter still.

Yerevan frames its proposal as a temporary solution until the corridor is ready. Still, its main objective appears to be convincing Turkey to reopen the Alijan crossing — something Ankara links to a peace deal or constitutional amendments in Armenia.