Türkiye, Armenia stress speedy reopening of Kars-Gyumri railway

Türkiye and Armenia have underscored the importance of reopening the Kars-Gyumri railway without delay to enhance regional transport links, following a meeting of the joint working group in eastern Türkiye, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday. The Türkiye-Armenia Joint Working Group on the rehabilitation and operationalization of the Kars-Gyumri railway convened in the province of Kars on April 28. The meeting was held in line with agreements reached under the normalization process between the two countries, the ministry said.

Regional connectivity

Both sides emphasized the significance of bringing the railway into operation as soon as possible in order to strengthen regional transport connectivity. The Kars-Gyumri line is a historic rail link connecting Türkiye’s eastern border to Armenia’s second-largest city and onward to Georgia and Russia. Its reopening would provide an alternative to existing routes and ease trade bottlenecks, particularly in light of disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz and Black Sea shipping.

Normalization context

Türkiye and Armenia have been engaged in a normalization process since 2021, including direct flights between Istanbul and Yerevan and the appointment of special envoys. However, progress has been hampered by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Turkey’s insistence on a resolution that respects Azerbaijan’s interests. The railway reopening is seen as a tangible confidence-building measure that could lead to the eventual opening of the land border, closed since 1993. For Türkiye, the railway is also a strategic component of the Middle Corridor initiative, linking Central Asia to Europe.