Azerbaijan-Armenia Railway Oil Export (December 2025)

Azerbaijan–Armenia Railway Oil Export is a commercial and economic development marking the first time oil products were shipped from Azerbaijan to Armenia via railway on 18 December 2025. This event has been recorded as a practical step toward normalizing trade relations between the two countries and advancing the peace agenda.

The initiative to export oil from Azerbaijan to Armenia is an extension of diplomatic engagement and peace process efforts that continued throughout 2025. On 28 November 2025, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan held talks in the city of Gabala. During the meeting, steps to build mutual trust and reestablish economic ties were discussed, and it was reported that both sides reached agreement on the export of oil products.

As there is no direct railway connection between Azerbaijan and Armenia, oil shipments were planned to transit through Georgian territory. On 5 December 2025, a request for fuel transit was submitted to the Georgian government by representatives of both Azerbaijan and Armenia. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze ordered the Georgian Railways to carry out a one-time transport free of charge. This arrangement established the logistical foundation for rail-based oil transportation.

On 18 December 2025, the first shipment of oil products produced by Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR was dispatched by rail toward Armenia. The shipment consisted of 1,210 tons of AI-95 gasoline carried in 22 tank cars, with the cargo departing via Georgia toward Yerevan.

This shipment marked the first-ever oil export from Azerbaijan to Armenia via railway in over a decade.

This export activity has been interpreted as a step to strengthen the economic dimension of the peace agenda sustained between the two countries throughout 2025. The oil shipment is not merely a symbolic gesture of normalization but serves as a tangible indicator of restored commercial relations. Azerbaijani and Armenian officials stated that this move concreteizes the economic benefits brought by the peace process.

Azerbaijan’s oil shipments to Armenia are viewed as part of the broader effort to reestablish commercial links contributing to regional trade and energy security. The resumption of oil trade is seen as one of the foundational steps toward restoring economic relations between the two countries to their previous levels.

Georgia’s role as a transit country was critical to enabling rail transport of oil. On 5 December 2025, the Georgian government decided to grant free access to the transit route, making it logistically possible for Azerbaijan to ship oil products to Armenia.

The first railway oil shipment on 18 December 2025 initiated a new chapter in economic relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The event has been recorded as a concrete advancement in the economic pillar of the peace process following years of political and economic estrangement.