Full unblocking of the region to create extensive economic and logistical opportunities, says Armenian Foreign Intelligence Service

The full unblocking of the region and, in particular, the possible restoration of the Kars-Gyumri railroad, the implementation of the TRIPP project, and the potential bilateral initiatives with Armenia’s neighbors will create extensive economic and logistical opportunities in terms of diversification of markets and expansion of regional trade, the Armenian Foreign Intelligence Service said in its annual report.

“In 2025, the race for economic and logistical projects between global and regional actors continued. For the countries of the region, conditions are created to reduce tensions and ensure regional security. The dynamics of global and regional competition for such projects will almost certainly persist in 2026,” the Foreign Intelligence Service said in its 2026 External Security Risks report published exclusively by Armenpress.

While regional infrastructure and economic projects are not the only drivers of the institutionalization of peace, they have considerable potential for increasing the price of military escalation. They additionally provide the countries of the region with an opportunity to strengthen their own political and economic standing by engaging in such projects.The full unblocking of our region and, in particular, the possible restoration of the Kars-Gyumri railroad, the implementation of the TRIPP project, and the potential bilateral initiatives with our neighbors will create extensive economic and logistical opportunities in terms of diversification of markets and expansion of regional trade. It can create proportional growth opportunities for the population of bordering regions on both sides in the west (Armenia-Türkiye), and the east (Armenia-Azerbaijan). In addition, restoration of connectivity with Türkiye and Azerbaijan will enable faster and more cost-efficient transportation of people, goods, and services which will enhance the competitiveness of the region, as well as its international appeal. We assess it as highly likely that the positive dynamic of both economic and infrastructure projects will persist in 2026. At the same time, infrastructural geopolitics demonstrate how state actors take advantage of infrastructures by using economic leverage and creating dependencies in order to expand their own influence. We therefore assess that, in 2026, new economic, infrastructure and trade initiatives will continually be a target of various actors pursuing harmful aims in the region, which can take the form of physical limitations, influence operations and other malign activities,” the agency said.