AZE.US
Azerbaijan’s planned resumption of passenger train service between Baku and Tbilisi has revived a wider debate over land borders, regional transport links and the long-running restrictions that continue to affect travel by road.
Passenger trains between Baku and Tbilisi are expected to resume on May 26, a step that lawmakers and political figures describe as important for transport, tourism and business ties between Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Razi Nurullayev, a member of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis, told Pravda.az that restoring the Baku-Tbilisi passenger route would be a significant move for expanding regional transport connections and deepening economic cooperation.
He said the decision could strengthen ties between Azerbaijan and Georgia, while also helping revive tourism and business activity.
But Nurullayev cautioned that the return of trains on one route should not be interpreted as the full reopening of Azerbaijan’s land borders.
According to him, the restoration of a specific railway connection appears to be part of a phased approach. The broader issue of reopening land borders, he said, is considered separately, taking into account security factors and strategic decisions made by the state.
The lawmaker said the move may be seen as a positive signal for wider openings in the future, but added that presenting it at this stage as a full border reopening would be misleading.
At the same time, Nurullayev said the reopening of land borders has already become important from both an economic and social point of view.
He argued that it could increase economic activity in the regions, expand cross-border trade, restore citizens’ freedom of movement and allow Azerbaijan to use its logistics potential more effectively.
He said such a step would be especially important for tourism development and for stimulating small and medium-sized business activity.
The discussion has also drawn a more cautious response from Tural Abbasli, chairman of the Ag Party. He told Demokrat.az that similar reports about railway and transport openings circulated last year as well. At the time, he said, the information came from Georgian Railways and was later said to have been confirmed by the Georgian government.
But without an official statement from the Azerbaijani side, the process did not move forward.
Abbasli said current reports also rely largely on the Georgian side, which is why, in his view, it would be premature to build serious expectations without formal confirmation from Baku.
He added that Azerbaijan should look not only at the Georgian direction, but also at the broader question of reopening borders, railway links and road connections with all neighboring countries.
According to Abbasli, the continued closure of land borders has a negative effect on people’s daily lives and on the economy. He said there are no clear and convincing public reasons for keeping the restrictions in place indefinitely, while wider regional openings could bring practical benefits.
For now, the return of Baku-Tbilisi passenger trains looks like a limited but symbolic transport step. It may ease one important route and send a positive regional signal, but it does not yet answer the larger question many citizens and businesses are asking: when Azerbaijan’s land borders will fully reopen.
AZE.US