Currently, no communication is open along the 1007-kilometer border line between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Delimitation has been carried out only on a 12.9-kilometer section of this length.
Rauf Agamirzayev, a transport expert and member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, stated this in an exclusive statement to Modern.az.
“At the same time, a peace agreement has not yet been signed between the two countries, and interstate legal documents do not exist.
Based on certain agreements, some cargo is transported by Azerbaijan via Georgia. The Azerbaijani side has removed the restrictions it faced. Kazakh grain, Russian grain and fertilizer products, as well as Azerbaijani fuel products, have been delivered to Armenia via various routes.”
The expert noted that in the next stage, the development of processes will depend on the agreements to be reached between the two countries:
“If delimitation is carried out in certain directions, it will be possible to carry out work more quickly in those areas.
One of the priority projects for Azerbaijan is the Zangazur corridor. The construction of this corridor as quickly as possible is considered one of the main goals, and the project can be implemented in stages. In the initial stage, the construction of the automobile road seems more realistic. This is because there are no serious technical problems in this direction, and it is sufficient to eliminate certain gaps for both Nakhchivan and the main part of Azerbaijan.”
R. Agamirzayev also added that technical issues are more complex in the railway project:
“Especially the laying of rails, the delivery of equipment to Zangazur, and possible international participation issues create additional difficulties. Even if these works are carried out on a concession basis in the territory of Armenia, the necessity of technical provision passing through Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan remains.”
According to the expert, the situation with the automobile road is simpler.
“The main issue here is the construction of the road in the territory of Armenia in a short time. We can note that in the next stage, the parallel construction of the railway can give a serious impetus to the economic development of the region.
In addition, the TRIPP project does not only cover railways and automobile roads. Within the framework of the project, fiber-optic lines, oil and gas pipelines, as well as energy transmission lines are also envisaged. This will create a new economic dynamic in the region as a whole, serve to minimize risks and increase the strategic importance of the South Caucasus on the global map.”
