AZE.US
Armenia could become a transit country for the first time in its modern history as new regional transport routes are developed following the peace process with Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev said on Thursday.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 13th Global Baku Forum in Baku, Aliyev said work is underway on expanding the Middle Corridor through Armenian territory, which would link mainland Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through new transport, energy and communications infrastructure.
According to the Azerbaijani leader, the project would fundamentally change Armenia’s role in regional logistics.
“Armenia, for the first time in its independent history, will also be a transit country, which today it is not,” Aliyev said during his address.
The proposed route is part of a broader effort to expand the Middle Corridor, an East-West transport network linking Central Asia and the Caspian region with Europe. Azerbaijani officials say the initiative could significantly boost regional connectivity and trade flows.
Aliyev said the development would allow Azerbaijan to establish a direct transport link between the country’s main territory and the Nakhchivan exclave, while also opening new logistics opportunities for other states.
“For us it is a win-win situation,” he said, adding that the expansion of regional corridors would benefit multiple countries seeking alternative trade routes between Asia and Europe.
The Azerbaijani president also noted that the progress follows the peace process between Baku and Yerevan. Earlier in his speech, he said Azerbaijan had already lifted restrictions on the transportation of goods into Armenia and resumed trade, including exports of petroleum products.
The Global Baku Forum, organized annually by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, brings together former heads of state, policymakers, diplomats and experts to discuss major international political and economic issues.