Azerbaijan Sends First-in-Decades Fuel Shipment to Armenia by Train via Georgia
A train with Azerbaijani fuel is to pass Georgia en route to Armenia, marking the first such shipment in decades amid an unfolding broader peace process between the two South Caucasus countries after prolonged conflict.
Azerbaijani AnewZ outlet reported on December 18 that the shipment comprises 22 rail tank cars carrying a total of 1,210 tons of AI-95 gasoline produced by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). Armenian state-run media later cited Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as confirming that “a train carrying oil products from Azerbaijan has already started moving.”
Pashinyan was also cited as noting that certain unresolved issues remain regarding transit tariffs through Georgia. “If these issues are not resolved, I hope that businesses will seek alternative ways to ensure imports and exports, should these deals continue to be of interest,” he said, according to Armenpress.
The delivery follows recent accusations by the Azerbaijani government-aligned media that Georgia imposed excessive railway transit tariffs on fuel bound for Armenia. GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze subsequently ordered a one-time free-of-charge transit of Azerbaijani fuel to Armenia. Tbilisi has repeatedly positioned itself as a venue for fostering peace across the region.
Reuters cited Hikmet Hajiyev, assistant to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, as saying that the shipment was agreed last month during talks between the deputy prime ministers of the two neighboring countries.
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