Armenian minister calls gasoline supplies from Azerbaijan part of diversification policy

YEREVAN, December 26. /ARKA Gasoline supplies from Azerbaijan to Armenia by rail are part of a diversification policy aimed at reducing dependence on a single market, stated Armenian Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan.

"Relying on one market means that our independence and sovereignty will always be compromised," he remarked during an interview on Armenian Public Television.

Papoyan characterized the gasoline imported from Azerbaijan by rail as high-quality and compliant with all necessary standards.

The minister noted that quality assessments were conducted at the National Institute of Standardization and Metrology.

The rail transport of goods to Armenia through Azerbaijan was made 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 being utilized for the first time since the early 1990s, following the announcement by the President of Azerbaijan on October 21, 2025, that all restrictions on cargo transit to Armenia through its territory would be removed.

The initial two shipments of goods that arrived in Armenia by rail through Georgia and Azerbaijan included a train carrying Russian grain (15 cars, which arrived on November 5) and a train transporting Kazakh wheat (approximately 1,000 tons, which arrived on November 7).

Additionally, on December 19, a train with 1,218 tons of gasoline from Azerbaijan reached Armenia, in line with the agreements made between the Armenian and Azerbaijani deputy prime ministers during their meeting on November 28, 2026, in Gabala.-0-