Turkish consul says Igdir-Nakhchivan gas pipeline nearing completion

Construction of the Igdir-Nakhchivan gas pipeline will be completed in the near future, said the Turkish Consul General in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Region Asip Kaya.

He made the remarks in an interview with journalists after the event dedicated to the 101st anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

He noted that consistent work is being done to expand ties between Türkiye and Nakhchivan.

“As you know, the foundation of the Igdir-Nakhchivan gas pipeline was laid last September with the participation of the presidents of both countries. Its construction is expected to be completed in the coming days,” the diplomat said.

Kaya said the brotherhood between Türkiye and Azerbaijan is an example for the whole world:

“The friendly and brotherly ties of our nations go back to antiquity. We have always been by each other's side both in joy and sorrow. Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, particularly the ties between Türkiye and Nakhchivan, are expanding day by day.”

Notably, in December 2020, Türkiye and Azerbaijan signed a memorandum of understanding for a gas supply project designed to eliminate Nakhchivan’s dependence on Iran.

The agreement led to the construction of an 85-kilometer (53-mile) pipeline extending to Nakhchivan from the Igdir Natural Gas Pipeline, which connects to the Eastern Anatolia Natural Gas Main Transmission Line. This new pipeline, with an annual transport capacity of 500 million cubic meters, will fully meet Nakhchivan’s natural gas needs.

This project marks the third major natural gas pipeline collaboration between Türkiye and Azerbaijan, following strategic undertakings like the South Caucasus Pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum Pipeline) and the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project. The new pipeline will be executed through a partnership between Türkiye’s pipeline trading company BOTAS and Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR.

Nakhchivan, with Azerbaijan’s only land border with Türkiye spanning 17.7 kilometres (11 miles), serves as a gateway to the broader Turkic world. Historically a vital transit hub, Nakhchivan continues to connect east with west, and north with south due to its strategic location. This pipeline reinforces Azerbaijan’s regional autonomy while strengthening its geopolitical and economic ties with Türkiye and other Turkic states.

The pipeline stretches 97.5 kilometres from Igdir to Nakhchivan's Sadarak district, including a 17.5-kilometre Azerbaijani section and an 80-kilometre Turkish section. The pipeline is capable of transporting 2 million cubic metres of gas per day and 730 million cubic metres annually. This, will fully meet Nakhchivan's gas needs.

By Khagan Isayev