Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Armenia is ready to facilitate the transit of Turkish cargo to Azerbaijan through its territory — a move marking a significant step toward normalization in the South Caucasus.
Speaking at a government meeting, Pashinyan said the designated route — Margara–Yeghegnadzor–Sisian–Goris, including the Kornidzor checkpoint — meets all required standards for infrastructure and capacity. He noted that for now, this will remain the only operational corridor until other routes are modernized and brought up to standard.
“After decades of confrontation, Armenia must learn what it means to live in peace,” Pashinyan said. “From the first day of independence, our country has existed in a state of conflict. We now need to build institutions, perceptions, and ways of thinking suited to peaceful conditions.”
The prime minister emphasized that the government’s task is to make peace “institutional and sustainable.” He confirmed that diplomatic contacts with Azerbaijan continue across multiple levels, including meetings between the speakers of both national parliaments and ongoing sessions of the bilateral working groups led by the deputy prime ministers.
“Our relations with Azerbaijan have always been part of daily life — the difference now is that they are part of a peaceful agenda,” Pashinyan said.
He also mentioned that Yerevan is engaged in intensive consultations with the United States on the TRIPP project, describing it as “a new and complex initiative for the region,” though he refrained from revealing further details.
Looking ahead to the June 2026 parliamentary elections, Pashinyan called them “a referendum on peace,” underscoring that “the Armenian people must confirm their commitment to peace; otherwise, the country risks sliding back into the mindset of conflict and isolation.”
Pashinyan concluded that affirming this course would mark “a new level of independence, sovereignty, and statehood” for Armenia.
Later in the day, he welcomed Azerbaijan’s decision to lift restrictions on transit toward Armenia, calling it a “historic event.” He revealed that the first shipment of grain from Kazakhstan to Armenia will soon pass via the Azerbaijan–Georgia–Armenia railway route, underlining growing regional cooperation.
The prime minister also highlighted that for the past 20 months, not a single soldier has been killed along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border — an unprecedented period of stability that he attributed to the evolving peace agenda.
