The Zangezur Corridor is gradually transforming from a regional infrastructure project into one of the key elements of the new geopolitical architecture of the South Caucasus. Its significance extends far beyond transport connectivity: it represents the formation of a new logistical, energy, and political axis linking the Caspian Sea with the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe.
The idea of establishing a direct transport connection between mainland Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic was enshrined in the ninth clause of the trilateral statement signed on November 10, 2020, by Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia following the Second Karabakh War. According to the document, “all economic and transport links in the region shall be unblocked,” and Armenia undertakes to ensure the safety of transport communication between the western regions of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan.
At the international level, this initiative gained a new dimension after the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Washington on August 8, 2025. The parties signed a declaration on the normalization of relations and agreed on joint participation in constructing a transport corridor connecting Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan through an Armenian-American consortium. The project was named TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity). This step became a political signal of the West’s intent to integrate the South Caucasus into a new system of transcontinental connectivity.
The implementation of the project in Azerbaijan is proceeding at an unprecedented pace. Baku views the transport connection with Nakhchivan not only as an economic priority but also as an element of territorial consolidation and national security. After more than a quarter century of disrupted communication, the country has launched a large-scale reconstruction effort—building roads, bridges, tunnels, and railways. The central component of this infrastructure is the Goradiz–Agbend railway line, 110.4 km in length, laid in 2021 with the participation of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Türkiye. Along the route, nine stations, four tunnels, three galleries, forty bridges, and about six hundred engineering structures are planned. Over 70 percent of the work has already been completed, and certain sections are already used for freight transport from the Araz Economic Zone.
Simultaneously, the Goradiz–Jabrayil–Zangilan–Agbend highway—123.6 km long—is under construction. It includes eight interchanges, nearly fifty crossings, and three tunnels with a total length of 12 km. The project is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026, after which the highway will become part of the toll road network. Together, these infrastructures form the northern contour of the future Zangezur Corridor and integrate into the multi-tiered system of the Middle (Trans-Caspian) Route.
For Azerbaijan, the Zangezur Corridor is not merely an engineering project but an instrument of geopolitical positioning. It strengthens Baku’s role as a transit hub between Europe and Asia, expands participation in global transport initiatives, and diversifies export and logistics routes. In the context of restructured international transport flows after the war in Ukraine, this factor has acquired particular importance. For Türkiye, the corridor provides a direct land connection with Azerbaijan and, more broadly, with the entire Turkic world—from Anatolia to the Caspian. For the United States and the European Union, it represents an opportunity to enhance the region’s energy and trade independence from Russian routes. For Russia and Iran, it poses a challenge to traditional corridors and necessitates adjustments to their regional strategies. On this narrow stretch of Zangezur, the interests of all major powers intersect, making the project simultaneously a point of tension and a potential platform for cooperation.
According to estimates by Azerbaijani authorities, once completed, the Zangezur Corridor will have an annual capacity of up to 15 million tons of cargo. The route will provide the shortest link from the Caspian Basin to Türkiye and onward to Europe, reducing transportation costs and enhancing the resilience of regional supply chains. In the long term, it may become part of an integrated system connecting the ports of Baku, Trabzon, Mersin, and the Mediterranean coast.
The Zangezur Corridor embodies the transition of the South Caucasus from post-conflict reconstruction to strategic development. It demonstrates Azerbaijan’s capacity not only to rebuild infrastructure but also to shape a new political and economic logic for the region—a logic of interconnection, pragmatism, and transit-driven interdependence. This project is more than a road; it is a new line of geopolitical equilibrium upon which much of Eurasia’s architecture in the coming decade will depend.
