Mountains, fears and roads: how to open the way between Azerbaijan and Armenia

In the light of the processes that have begun between Azerbaijan and Armenia, discussions are continuing. And they are mostly on the Armenian side. On the Azerbaijani side, everything is accepted as it is. The Azerbaijanis, who have no doubt that their leader knows what he is doing, do not interfere, do not protest and do not prevent the head of state from solving strategic tasks aimed at consolidating peace. The President of Azerbaijan has repeatedly proved to both his own and others that he knows what, how and when to do it. Transit for Armenia is currently on the agenda, and the Azerbaijani leader has decided, as always, with an accurate hit.

Let's say right away that the communications connecting Azerbaijan and Armenia have not been unblocked. Transit to Armenia is not carried out directly. This is still a matter of the future and depends on the steps taken by the Armenian side to restore transit through Meghri, as well as the state of the country's road network as a whole. The step taken by Baku is not a commitment, but a gesture of goodwill that does not affect our interests in any way.

We have already discussed the transit route from Turkiye to Azerbaijan through Armenian territory proposed by Nikol Pashinyan as a reciprocal step. The majority of Azerbaijani experts are inclined to believe that it is unsuitable for real cargo transportation. Yerevan's logic is easy to understand - he needed to take a step forward, but there is actually nothing to answer. Armenia does not have, and even in Soviet times it did not have, a serious infrastructure suitable for large-scale transportation. The only artery for this was the electrified railway through Meghri in the 80s. The reason was not the reluctance of the Armenian side, but the complexity of the mountainous terrain of this republic. Therefore, there has always been a very poorly developed railway network. And the railway, as you know, is the basis of international freight transportation.

Armenian experts understand these nuances, which is why the Hrazdan-Dilijan-Ijevan-Gazakh railway, which has been closed since the beginning of Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan, has been increasingly on the agenda in recent days. As part of his "Crossroads of the World", Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly offered Azerbaijan this route instead of the Zangezur corridor. Initially, all options for unblocking were discussed at meetings of the relevant commissions of Azerbaijan and Armenia with the mediation of Russia, but Baku insisted on its own, and the current "Trump Route" - TRIPP - became the main point.   

A few days ago, expert Sergey Melkonyan, in an interview on one of the Kazakh channels, talking about Armenia's access to Central Asia, again touched upon this route and stated that it was fully ready. Meanwhile, it is known from Armenian sources that this is far from the case. The Armenian government, at the request of journalists, previously reported that the restoration of this railway requires an investment of 500 million dollars. In contrast, the restoration of the road through Meghri will cost 226 million. And it's not just the cost of the projects, but also the geography that Armenia was unlucky in terms of logistics. The Hrazdan-Dilijan-Ijevan road passes through an area with increased landslide risk. In 2010, the road to Ijevan in the area of the village of Aghartsin was destroyed. As the Armenian media wrote, they decided not to restore it. The Mehradzor (Pambak) tunnel has been mothballed, and only rare freight trains now run to Dilijan. There is no passenger service. Judging by the publications in the Armenian media, the situation has not changed today. And it is unclear how this route can be used for international transit.

By the way, landslides have always plagued this road. It was built exactly along this route, apparently because it was the only one more or less accessible for laying a railway track. You can find videos of the road online. To be honest, it's not clear how trains could move through such an area at all.

During the period of "football diplomacy" between Armenia and Turkey, the Armenian media vigorously discussed the advantages of opening the Turkish borders and the railway from Kars to Gyumri. At the same time, issues of the revival of the Armenian railways were vigorously raised, and during the discussions, geologists recalled that back in the 70s and 80s, they identified many dangerous zones on the Dilijan-Ijevan road route, where there is a threat of landslides, rockfalls and steep cliffs. After the construction of the railway, the landslide process only intensified. The situation reached a peak when the Haghartsin landslide came down in 2010 and destroyed a section of the railway track that remains undeveloped.

This is the truth about the situation on the railways of Armenia, which the Armenian side continues to try to present as a replacement for the Zangezur corridor.

In August 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced Russia's possible participation in investments in the reconstruction of railway communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In his opinion, Russian Railways may be interested in financing the repair of the Ijevan-Hrazdan and Ijevan-Gazakh road sections.

Armenia is proud to say that it was the only republic in the South Caucasus that had four railway junctions: one each from Turkiye and Georgia, and two from Azerbaijan. To tell the whole truth, let's not forget about another junction from Azerbaijan, facing the road through Meghri, which for some reason is always "forgotten" in Armenia.

Speaking to reporters a year ago, Levon Hakobyan, advisor to the General Director of SCR CJSC, said that Armenia would benefit significantly from launching a route from Kars to Baku through its territory. According to him, two routes are being considered: one, shorter, passes through Ijevan, the second, longer, through Meghri. Hakobyan pointed out that the railway route from Yerevan to, for example, Derbent via Meghri and Baku is 1,075 kilometers, and through Ijevan it is 300 kilometers shorter. In short, the adviser to the General Director of the SCR stated that the Armenian side benefits from launching a service through Ijevan. According to Hakobyan, he is also beneficial to Baku, which is simply stubborn for political reasons.

Seriously? Let's turn to the Armenian media again. In Soviet times, Armenia received 80 percent of its cargo from Azerbaijan via the Nakhchivan railway. The branch line from Derbent, through Baku and Minjavan, then Julfa (NAR) reached Norashen, and from there to Yerevan. Along this route, which passed through a convenient territory, the most voluminous cargoes, fuel, and so on were delivered. Isn't it strange that they chose him, even though he was 300 kilometers longer than Ijevan?

A year later, Levon Hakobyan recognized these realities. In a recent conversation with reporters, he said that unlike other routes, the road through Meghri ran over flat terrain, and heavier trains could be launched along it. In addition, they could go faster, which meant that the traffic capacity was higher. Therefore, in Soviet times, all major cargoes to Armenia - grain, metals, oil products - were transported along this route. "If the railway is launched, we will have to think about the interests of our country, that is, about convenient and cheap delivery of our goods to Russia and Iran," he said, leaving aside talk of "political motives."

Indeed, the railway through Nakhchivan was the main freight highway of the Armenian SSR. There were other railway lines from Armenia: the first one went through Ayrum to Tbilisi and then through Sukhumi, the second one went from Ijevan to Gazakh and further to the Caspian coast. But trains with a cargo of 1,900 tons could be launched along both routes, while up to 4,500 tons could be sent through Nakhchivan.

This is all you need to know about why Armenia should not be distracted by other routes, promote roads that are inconvenient for logistics, or look for money to restore the dangerous route through Ijevan. All efforts should be focused on the construction of the Zangezur Corridor, or, if you prefer, the "Trump Route." Yes, this route is beneficial and necessary for Azerbaijan not so much for economic reasons as for political reasons. Yes, we want to get direct access to Turkey. But Armenia absolutely should not be afraid of this. She will not suffer at all from Baku's insistence. By doing its best to prevent Azerbaijan from gaining political benefits, it is depriving itself of what it could only dream of before - economic dividends and participation in international transit.