PM Pashinyan thanks President Aliyev, highlights regional opportunities

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that constructive changes in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations are creating regional opportunities, thanking Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for unblocking cargo transit and enabling bilateral trade.

He made remarks during the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council session in St. Petersburg, emphasising the move’s importance for peace and stability in the region, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media

“I want to note that the ongoing favorable and constructive changes create new opportunities for all countries in the wider region, contributing to economic resilience and the expansion of regional communications. In this context, I express my gratitude to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for the decision to unblock cargo transit to Armenia through Azerbaijani territory and for creating conditions to initiate bilateral trade. This is one of the first major achievements in establishing peace and stability in the region,” Pashinyan said.

On December 18, Azerbaijan dispatched its first shipment of domestically produced fuel to Armenia since independence. The freight train carried around 1,220 tons of AI‑95 gasoline in 22 railcars from Baku via Georgia’s rail network. 

It arrived in Armenia on December 19, marking the first commercial trade after long-standing transit restrictions were lifted. Georgia facilitated the transit free of charge, and Armenia plans to continue shipments under the new peace-driven framework.

The shipment reflects practical implementation of peace‑driven normalization, enabled by earlier political decisions to lift long‑standing cargo transit restrictions that had blocked rail trade between the two countries.

By Jeyhun Aghazada