Azerbaijan Lifts Cargo Transit Curbs to Armenia, Signaling Growing Peace

Post by : Saif Nasser

Azerbaijan has lifted all restrictions on cargo transit to Armenia, marking a significant step toward improving relations between the two countries after decades of conflict, President Ilham Aliyev said on Tuesday.

Aliyev spoke to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana, highlighting a recent shipment of Kazakh grain traveling through Azerbaijan to Armenia. This consignment is the first since transit was halted during the late Soviet period, when tensions between the two nations first escalated.

“I think this is also a good indicator that peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia is no longer on paper, but in practice,” Aliyev said, according to Azerbaijani state media.

Hikmet Hajiyev, Aliyev's foreign policy adviser, explained that cargo shipments will travel via Georgia, calling the move an “economic benefit of peace.”

A spokeswoman for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan praised Azerbaijan's decision as a “step of great importance for opening regional communications, strengthening mutual trust, and institutionalising the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

The two countries were involved in a bitter conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region within Azerbaijan. The region had enjoyed de facto independence for about three decades until Azerbaijan regained full control in 2023.

In August, Armenia and Azerbaijan reached a U.S.-brokered peace agreement, though some challenges remain. Azerbaijan has requested constitutional changes in Armenia as part of the deal, which has yet to be formally signed.

The easing of cargo restrictions and the potential establishment of a U.S.-supported strategic transit corridor could transform the South Caucasus. This oil- and gas-rich region is a key link connecting Asia and Europe, especially after the war in Ukraine disrupted trade routes through Russia.

The move is expected to strengthen bilateral economic ties, increase trade, and support regional stability. Both countries appear committed to moving from decades of hostility toward practical cooperation and long-term peace.