Armenia’s economy minister suggests opening land border with Azerbaijan

Armenia’s economy minister has suggested opening the land border with Azerbaijan to facilitate cargo transit, arguing it could provide a viable alternative route.

Speaking to Armenian media, Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said it would be “a very good time” to open the Armenia-Azerbaijan land border, allowing cargo arriving by rail to Armenia’s border to be transferred to trucks and transported multimodally through Azerbaijan, Caliber.Az reports. 

He said there were no circumstances in either Armenia or Azerbaijan that would prevent such an arrangement and added that businesses were ready to use the route if the Azerbaijani side agreed.

Papoyan noted that the initial price for the transit of cargo from Azerbaijan to Armenia via the Georgian railway has been considered relatively high, non-competitive, but discussions are still ongoing. He added that discussions were continuing between the Georgian railway company and companies importing goods such as grain and gasoline.

“On one side is the Georgian railway company, on the other side are companies importing grain or gasoline. Naturally, they need to negotiate and find the best option,” Papoyan said, noting that he is not directly involved in the talks.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has previously warned that if the tariff issue is not resolved, economic entities would logically seek alternative routes for imports and exports. Papoyan said that opening the land border with Azerbaijan could be one such alternative.

Papoyan added that if the Azerbaijani side is ready, they can switch to that method. 

By Sabina Mammadli