The Akhalkalaki–Kars railway between Georgia and Turkey ‘is now open’ for Armenian exports and imports, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced. He added that despite the concession agreement with Russia over the management of Armenia’s railways, the Armenian government will soon begin the renovation of the Gyumri–Akhurik–Akyaka and Yeraskh junction railway.
In 1993, Turkey unilaterally severed diplomatic relations with Armenia and closed its shared land border in solidarity with Azerbaijan during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. The border has remained closed since then, including for cargo transit by rail.
Pashinyan announced the news on Sunday, describing the development ‘a major event in the economic life of our country’ and expressed gratitude to Turkey and Georgia.
‘Today, Armenia has a railway connection with Russia via the territories of Georgia and Azerbaijan, and further with China via the territories of Russia and Kazakhstan. Now, via the territories of Georgia and Turkey, it also has a connection with the EU’, Pashinyan stated.
Azerbaijan lifted restrictions on cargo transfer to Armenia in October 2025, following which Georgian and Azerbaijani railways are used for cargo transfer from Russia and Kazakhstan. Armenia also imports Azerbaijani petroleum.
During a pre-election campaign event in Shirak Province, Pashinyan described the latest developments as ‘historic’.
‘I want to draw attention to the fact that the blockade is gradually being overcome step by step’, Pashinyan said. He added that Armenian business delegations and exporters would have business trips to Turkey, Syria, EU member and non-member states, ‘so that we can understand how to make use of these opportunities’.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
During his campaign in Shirak, Pashinyan also elaborated that his government will begin the renovation of the Gyumri–Akhurik railway in Armenia’s Shirak Province which will be connected to Akyaka in Turkey, and the Yeraskh railway junction in Armenia’s Ararat Province.
‘Although there is a concession agreement, the Armenian government will take responsibility and make investments. We will repair and restore the railway, and it will be opened’, Pashinyan said.
The government’s decision to directly finance the restoration of the two railway sections appears to signal that Yerevan and Moscow failed to reach an agreement on the issue.
In 2008, a 30-year concession agreement was signed stipulating the transfer of the Armenian railway system to the South-Caucasian Railway CJSC, created by Russian Railways.
Last December, Pashinyan revealed that he had asked Russia to ‘urgently address’ the full restoration of railway sections adjacent to the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan and the Turkish border.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
Two months later, in February, Pashinyan ‘welcome[d]’ Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksei Overchuk’s statement that Russia had ‘decided to begin substantive negotiations’ with Armenia on the restoration. Meanwhile, Pashinyan insisted that ‘there’s nothing to negotiate’ considering that, according to him, the sections asked to be restored only covered a roughly 4 kilometre stretch of railroads. He further stressed the urgency of the restoration.
‘By the time we do this, the alternative railway will be built, and we will say, “Oh, Armenia was bypassed again”. No, there’s nothing to negotiate — let us build it first, then we can negotiate’, Pashinyan said at the time.
Aside from the request of restoration of these two railway sections, Armenia separately has raised the issue of a third-party takeover of the Armenian railways, insisting that Russian management means a loss of ‘competitive advantage’ by having international routes pass through the country.
However, the sides failed to reach an agreement so far, instead the Kremlin stated there were ‘no objective reasons for selling’ the concession to a third party.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
Also on Sunday, Pashinyan announced that Armenia would soon sign the final agreement with the US on the implementation of the Trump Route.
Pashinyan further noted that the opening of the Armenia–Turkey, Armenia–Azerbaijan, and subsequently the Armenia–Iran railway via Nakhchivan would come in the future, claiming that in the recent years, ‘Armenia has moved from the periphery of the world and, in political and economic terms, has become the centre of the world’.
‘We will witness these developments soon as a result of the implementation of the TRIPP project’, Pashinyan said.
On Monday, it was announced that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Armenia on Tuesday and that ‘bilateral documents are expected to be signed’. The exact documents were not specified.
