“The section of the Zangezur corridor passing through Armenia – within the framework of the TRIPP project – was evaluated in terms of possible impacts amidst geopolitical tensions in the region. Along with this, certain concerns regarding the project were also noted. The Zangezur corridor is a priority project for the Azerbaijani side, and active work is being carried out by Azerbaijan within the framework of the corridor.”
These remarks were made to Modern.az by Rauf Agamirzayev, a member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport and a transport expert, commenting on the discussions related to transport and logistics within the framework of the recent meeting of the Azerbaijani-Armenian delegation.
According to him, the Horadiz-Aghband railway is being reconstructed in this direction:
“At the same time, active construction work continues on the Alat-Osmanli and Osmanli-Horadiz lines, as well as in the direction of Nakhchivan.
Since last year, the construction of the Kars-Igdir-Aralik-Dilucu-Azerbaijani border railway line has also started in Turkey. Images related to tunnel construction within the framework of this project have already been released. In general, along the corridor, with the exception of Armenia, construction work in all other directions is either in the completion stage or actively ongoing.”
R. Agamirzayev noted that a large part of the mentioned lines could be put into operation by 2028:
“Some projects on the Turkish side are expected to be planned for 2029. In this context, Armenia's more active participation in the process is considered important. Although the election process in Armenia creates certain delays, work will accelerate after the elections.”
The expert also added that the Armenian side is also interested in opening other alternative routes.
“Azerbaijan, in general, acts as an interested party in the opening of all transport communications. However, within the framework of a phased approach, the initial priority remains the Zangezur corridor.
Parallel to this corridor, certain issues in the directions of Nakhchivan and Gazakh must also be resolved. In particular, the return of the villages of Barkhudarly and Sofulu is important for the restoration of the 18-kilometer railway line, as well as the reconstruction of the highway.
On the other hand, landslides occurring in some railway sections passing through the territory of Armenia make the project more complex and costly. For this reason, the application of multimodal transportation in that direction is likely in the initial stage. That is, although a certain part of the route will be provided by rail in Azerbaijani territory, the construction of additional engineering structures in other parts will require a certain amount of time and serious investment.”
R. Agamirzayev concluded by stating that, in general, the opening of communications will be carried out synchronously:
“This will result in the parallel commissioning not only of the Zangezur corridor but also of other transport lines in the direction of Sadarak and Turkey.”
