Armenia Opens Railway Route to Turkey
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced that a long-dormant railway line running through Georgia and Turkey is now available for use in Armenia’s foreign trade. The move is seen as a significant milestone in the gradual normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey.
On May 24, Pashinyan announced that the Akhalkalaki–Kars railway line through Georgia and Turkey has been opened for Armenian imports and exports. This could permanently alter trade routes between Europe and Asia.
“I am pleased to announce that the Akhalkalaki–Kars railway—as well as the Azerbaijani railway—is now open for exports from Armenia and imports to Armenia. This is a significant event for our country’s economy,” Pashinyan wrote on the X platform.
New prospects for Armenian trade
The opening of the route is seen as one of the clearest signs of the easing of the decades-long economic isolation between Armenia and Turkey.
According to Pashinyan, Armenia now not only has rail connections to Russia via Georgia and Azerbaijan, but also potentially a direct link to European markets via Georgia and Turkey.
In addition, the prime minister announced further infrastructure projects. Plans include the restoration of the Gyumri–Akhurik–Akyaka railway line to the Turkish border, as well as the modernization of the Yeraskh railway junction near the border with Azerbaijan.
In the long term, new connections are to be established via Azerbaijan, its exclave of Nakhchivan, and into Iran.
“In the future, we will have a rail connection from the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea—to the ports of Batumi, Poti, and Anaklia. This will fundamentally change Armenia’s economic situation,” Pashinyan explained.
Rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey
Relations between Armenia and Turkey have been strained for decades. Ankara closed the shared border in 1993 out of solidarity with Azerbaijan during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.
In addition to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, differing interpretations of the events of 1915 have also strained bilateral relations. Armenia refers to the events as the genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, while Turkey rejects this characterization. In late 2021, both countries appointed special envoys for normalization talks. Since then, direct air cargo connections have resumed and diplomatic contacts have intensified.
In September 2024, Pashinyan met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in New York. Both sides committed to normalizing relations without preconditions.
Significance for the Middle Corridor
The reopening of the rail link fits into the strategic plans surrounding the so-called Middle Corridor—the Trans-Caspian trade route that connects China and Central Asia to Europe via the South Caucasus, bypassing Russia.
To date, the lack of functioning rail connections between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey has been one of the biggest bottlenecks on this route. The new connection could therefore significantly strengthen Armenia’s importance as a transit country.
At the center of this is the U.S.-backed TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity) project, which aims to create a multimodal transport corridor through Armenia. This would connect Azerbaijan’s heartland with Nakhchivan and Turkey while simultaneously integrating Armenia more closely into international trade flows.
Despite the economic opportunities, geopolitical risks remain. The planned corridor runs in close proximity to the Iranian border and could therefore be affected by regional tensions.
