Pashinyan urges Russia to speed up restoration of Armenia rail links to Azerbaijan, Türkiye

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called on Russia to urgently restore railway lines connecting Armenia with Azerbaijan and Türkiye, saying the timeframes for the work have already arrived.

Speaking to journalists on January 15, Pashinyan said recent developments meant the reconstruction should begin immediately, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media.

“There are processes underway, about which information will be provided, and these processes imply that the work needs to be carried out as soon as possible,” he said.

Pashinyan noted that the issue had been discussed with Russia as part of the TRIPP project, including during his meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

“We are asking our Russian partners to decide on this matter,” he added.

On August 8, 2025, a joint declaration was signed in Washington at a summit hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump, attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

The document set out a seven-point framework reaffirming sovereignty, territorial integrity and the renunciation of force. Foreign ministers from both countries also initialled a draft Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations, witnessed by Trump, Aliyev and Pashinyan. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the move as a historic step toward lasting peace.

The agreement includes the establishment of the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP), also known as the Zangezur Corridor, a transit route through Armenia’s Syunik province linking mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave.

By Aghakazim Guliyev