Armenia and Azerbaijan exchanged lists of goods they are likely to trade– Papoyan
YEREVAN, February 6. /ARКА/. Armenia and Azerbaijan have exchanged lists of goods they may trade, and a response from the business community is anticipated, stated Armenian Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan.
"At present, the markets are quite unfamiliar with each other – our market for them, and their market for us. This will require time; it is a challenging and prolonged process," Papoyan remarked during a press conference on Friday regarding the 2025 outcomes.
He mentioned that this process is primarily in the hands of the private sector, while the government is facilitating conditions through political agreements, road openings, and railway activation.
"We have already established a considerable part of these conditions, but they are not yet fully realized. For instance, there is currently no direct rail connection, but efforts are being made in this area, and this link is expected to be established in a few years," Papoyan added.
Rail freight transport to Armenia through Azerbaijan became feasible due to agreements made between the two nations in Washington on August 8, along with memoranda of understanding signed by the governments of the United States and Armenia.
This route is operational for the first time since the early 1990s, following the announcement by the President of Azerbaijan on October 21, 2025, lifting all restrictions on the transit of goods to Armenia through its territory.
The first two shipments of goods to arrive in Armenia by rail through Georgia and Azerbaijan included a train carrying Russian grain (15 cars, arrived on November 5) and a train transporting Kazakh wheat (approximately 1,000 tons, arrived on November 7).
Furthermore, on December 19, a train carrying 1,218 tons of gasoline from Azerbaijan arrived in Armenia, in accordance with the agreements reached between the Armenian and Azerbaijani deputy prime ministers at a meeting on November 28, 2026, in Gabala.
Recently, Babken Tunyan, deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee on economic issues, did not rule out that Armenia might begin exporting goods to Azerbaijan in one or two months. He said the possibility of exporting foil and some types of food products to Azerbaijan is being discussed.-0-
