Azerbaijan has begun transporting its first fuel shipment to Armenia in 30 years, as the South Caucasus neighbors advance reconciliation efforts after decades of conflict, media reports said Thursday.
State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) loaded 1,220 tons of domestically produced petroleum products into 22 railway wagons at a terminal in Baku, dispatching them to the Boyuk Kesik Railway Station near the Georgian border, from where the cargo will proceed to Armenia, according to the Azertac state news agency.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan welcomed the development, stating he had reviewed the reports and viewed it positively.
“The trade is taking place between private companies. But, of course, it is the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan that has created the political conditions for this trade,” Pashinyan told the Armenpress state news agency.
The move follows Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's October announcement lifting all cargo transit restrictions to Armenia, which Pashinyan hailed as an “extremely important” step.
The neighbors, along with U.S. President Donald Trump, signed a declaration at an August trilateral summit in the White House to end hostilities, reopen transport links and normalize relations.
