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Turkey’s special representative for the normalization process with Armenia said on Sunday that the opening of the Akhalkalaki-Kars railway corridor to Armenian imports and exports marked a significant advancement in the evolving economic and diplomatic engagement between the two neighboring countries.
Serdar Kilic, Ankara’s special envoy for talks with Yerevan, made the remarks in a statement posted on X after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that the railway route had been opened for Armenia’s foreign trade operations.
Kilic described the move as “a new step in direct trade” within the broader framework of the Turkey-Armenia normalization process, expressing hope that the initiative would deepen regional cooperation and contribute to long-term stability in the South Caucasus.
“I hope this new step, which will also improve quadruple cooperation among Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia and make a significant contribution to regional peace and stability, will be beneficial for all these countries,” he said.
The development represents one of the clearest signs of tangible progress in efforts to normalize relations between Ankara and Yerevan after decades of political estrangement and closed borders.
Pashinyan characterized the opening of the railway corridor as a major economic development for Armenia and thanked both Turkey and Georgia for their cooperation in facilitating the initiative.
According to the Armenian prime minister, the newly accessible route provides Armenia with railway connectivity to Russia through Georgia and Azerbaijan, while also extending access to China via Russia and Kazakhstan.
He added that the corridor passing through Turkey and Georgia would strengthen Armenia’s economic links with the European Union, while additional rail connections involving Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran were expected to be established in the near future.
The reopening and expansion of regional transport corridors have increasingly emerged as a central component of broader diplomatic and economic realignment efforts across the South Caucasus, where governments are seeking to deepen connectivity, diversify trade routes and reinforce regional stability following years of geopolitical tensions.
Written by N.J.