Yeraskh-Sadarak section to be also unblocked as part of process, says FM

In the context of unblocking transportation routes in the South Caucasus, the Yeraskh-Sadarak section should also be unblocked, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Monday.

"There is no logic in having the railway running through southern Armenia operational while the one passing through the Nakhchivan territory remains inactive," said Mirzoyan, emphasizing that the unblocking should also apply to the Yeraskh-Sadarak railway. He made the remarks in response to a question from MP Artur Khachatryan from the opposition Hayastan faction during parliamentary committee debates on the 2026 budget bill.

Earlier, MP Arthur Khachatryan had stated that the "Hayastan" faction does not oppose unblocking, but called for the simultaneous unblocking of all regional routes: "This includes the unblocking of the Armenia-Armenia road through Nakhchivan, which is impossible as long as the Sadarak-Yeraskh railway or crossing is not built, and it also includes the unblocking of the Ijevan-Ghazakh road,” the MP said.

Under the U.S.-brokered Armenian-Azerbaijani accords, the two countries reaffirmed “the importance of the opening of communications between the two countries for intra-state, bilateral, and international transportation for the promotion of peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and in its neighborhood on the basis of respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and jurisdiction of the States. These efforts are to include unimpeded connectivity between the main part of the Republic of Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through the territory of the Republic of Armenia with reciprocal benefits for international and intra-state connectivity for the Republic of Armenia.”

Azerbaijan lifted cargo transit restrictions to Armenia on October 21, followed by a reciprocal move by Armenia on October 27.