Azerbaijan and Georgia have agreed to resume passenger railway service on the Baku-Tbilisi-Baku route starting May 26, 2026. The decision was announced following Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's visit to Azerbaijan over the past weekend.

According to a joint communiqué from the governments of Azerbaijan and Georgia, the parties agreed to restore daily passenger train operations along the route.

Bloomberg notes that Azerbaijan's land borders have been closed since 2020 due to restrictions introduced during the pandemic and extended every six months by the government.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has stated that the decision to keep borders closed was based on security considerations. In April 2024, he said the move was not solely due to quarantine but also national security, especially amid the war on the northern border and crisis on the southern frontiers.

Baku and Tbilisi also signed a package of documents, including a 20-year agreement for the supply of Azerbaijani gas to Georgia, as well as deals on electricity transit and supply.

Additionally, the sides reached an agreement on the Georgian section of the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline. This is expected to allow the resumption of oil transit from Central Asia through Georgia to European markets.

Source: www.gazeta.uz