Baku responds to Armenian minister’s comments on transit routes

Azerbaijan has responded to comments by Armenia’s economy minister Gevorg Papoyan, who said transit tariffs for cargo moving from Azerbaijan to Armenia via Georgian railways were high and uncompetitive.

Political analyst Elkhan Shahinoglu told haqqin.az that direct trade links between Baku and Yerevan, bypassing Georgia, would be economically beneficial for both sides.

He said Georgia’s occasional use of high customs tariffs creates additional financial pressure, and noted that direct connections would be more viable at a time when the peace process is expanding and Azerbaijan has taken several goodwill steps despite the absence of a signed peace treaty.

Shahinoglu pointed out that some forms of economic cooperation are already in place, including the transit of Kazakh grain through Azerbaijan to Armenia and Azerbaijani supplies of petroleum products to Armenia.

However, he stressed that Armenia’s internal rail infrastructure remains a key obstacle. According to Shahinoglu, railway lines linking Armenia with Azerbaijan were destroyed in the late Soviet and early post-Soviet period, limiting the possibility of direct trade today.

He added that restoring Armenia’s internal railways leading to the Azerbaijani border would be the most effective solution, while road transport could be considered as an initial step.