Türkiye hails Akhalkalaki-Kars railway opening as normalization step

Türkiye’s special envoy for the normalization process with Armenia, Serdar Kilic, said Sunday that the opening of the Akhalkalaki-Kars railway line to Armenian foreign trade marks a new step in bilateral ties, following Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s announcement that the corridor is now operational for the country’s imports and exports.

Railway corridor operational

Kilic described the development as a milestone in direct trade within the framework of the ongoing normalization process between Ankara and Yerevan. Posting on the social media platform X, he emphasized that the move would improve quadruple cooperation among Türkiye, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. "I hope this new step will be beneficial for all these countries," he said, adding that it would make a significant contribution to regional peace and stability.

Pashinyan welcomed the opening as a major development for Armenia’s economy and thanked partners in Türkiye and Georgia for their cooperation in establishing the link. The Armenian premier noted that his country now possesses railway access to Russia through Georgia and Azerbaijan, and to China via Russia and Kazakhstan, significantly expanding Yerevan’s connectivity options beyond traditional routes.

Future regional links

The railway route passing through Türkiye and Georgia is expected to strengthen Armenia’s connection with the European Union, according to Pashinyan’s statement. He added that rail links with Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Iran were also anticipated in the near future, further integrating Armenia into regional trade networks that have been bolstered by the recent diplomatic thaw.