Azerbaijan started transporting its first fuel shipment to neighboring Armenia in three decades, as the two Southern Caucasus neighbors continue steps to improve ties following years of conflict, media reports said on Dec. 18.
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) is delivering domestically produced petroleum products to Armenia for the first time, according to the Azertac state news agency, which reported that 1,220 tons of fuel loaded into 22 railway wagons have been dispatched from a terminal in Baku.
It said the fuel is being transported to the Böyük Kesik Railway Station, situated near the Azerbaijani border with neighboring Georgia, through which it said the fuel will be delivered to Armenia.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan commented earlier on Dec. 18, expressing that he has seen the reports and noted he welcomed the development.
“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 was quoted by Armenian state news agency Armenpress.,
Pashinyan also called for the urgent restoration of railway sections inside Armenia that connect Russia to Azerbaijan and Türkiye.
Speaking at a press briefing, Pashinyan said he had asked Russia to immediately address the full repair of the rail line from Yeraskh to the Nakhchivan border, as well as the section running from Akhurik to the Turkish border.
In October, Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev announced that Baku lifted all restrictions on cargo transit to Armenia. Pashinyan welcomed the decision as an “extremely important announcement.”
The two Southern Caucasus neighbors signed a declaration at a trilateral summit at the White House in August, along with U.S. President Donald Trump, to end decades of conflict, with commitments to cease hostilities, reopen transport routes and normalize relations.
