Armenia expects its border with Turkey to reopen in the near future as plans advance for a transport route through Armenia connecting Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan, a part of Azerbaijan separated from the rest of the country by Armenian territory, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Tuesday in Armenia’s capital of Yerevan.
Pashinyan also said Armenia expects rail links with Turkey and Azerbaijan to be restored as regional transport connections develop.
He made the remarks at the Armenia-United Kingdom Business Forum, where he discussed the implementation of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), the planned connection through Armenia’s southern Syunik province.
Armenian officials expect construction related to TRIPP in Syunik to begin early next year. The project is intended to create a new transport connection across the South Caucasus as Armenia and Azerbaijan move forward with their peace process.
“Armenia and our region are undergoing a transformation associated with the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the developments resulting from it,” Pashinyan said. He added that work was underway to begin implementing TRIPP on the ground.
Pashinyan said investment interest in Armenia was already increasing but did not give a specific date for reopening the border with Turkey or restoring rail connections with Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan said at the forum that the opening of transport infrastructure in the South Caucasus could create new economic opportunities and expand cooperation between Armenia and its international partners. He also discussed TRIPP’s role in expanding regional connectivity, according to Armenia’s Foreign Ministry.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations, and their land border has been closed to regular traffic since 1993. The two countries began a new process of normalization in 2021, but regular border crossings have not resumed. Armenia and Azerbaijan have also been working toward a peace agreement following decades of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
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