The most disturbing issue for us is that regarding TRIPP, Azerbaijan’s position and approach is to connect to Kars via Nakhijvan and the Kars–Dilucu railway in Turkey, effectively leaving Armenia in a semi-isolated state, especially if the Gyumri–Yeraskh railway is no longer used, said Samvel Meliksetyan, a member of the 'Bridge of Peace' initiative, during a press conference, referring to discussions held at the meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani civil society representatives in Armenia.
“The impression is that the Azerbaijani side is not, in principle, against the use of both routes, but I would say that it has a highly competitive approach here and will prioritize its own projects. On the other hand, it is not opposed to opening various communications through the territory of Armenia, as well as through Georgia, that is, it supports more complex approaches. I believe, and this has been stated repeatedly, that much now depends on the Armenian side and on the work we carry out on our territory as to what shape those communications will take.
We have proposed various solutions within this process, for example, to already open the railway connection with Nakhijevan through the territory of Armenia, so that the Azerbaijani side restores the Nakhijevan railway section, and we do not wait an additional two to three years until the Meghri section is completed and they, in turn, spend another two to three years restoring that section. In other words, if we start these processes in parallel, we will more quickly have functioning communications, and this will also give us a chance and an opportunity to use the Gyumri–Yeraskh section.
We have also spoken about a direct connection in the Kazakh–Ijevan section, and I believe that as a next step within the framework of bilateral economic relations it is very important to first have a road connection and then also a railway connection precisely in that section, and there are various practical proposals and solutions in this regard,” he said.
Overall, Samvel Meliksetyan considered the chosen format of dialogue to be useful, as it creates an opportunity to better understand the opposing side, to shape one’s own steps and expectations on that basis, and to stand on more realistic ground, while at the same time understanding, as Meliksetyan concludes, that the opposing side will be rather slow-moving and will take any new step with pauses.
On February 13–14, 2026, a bilateral roundtable was held in Armenia within the framework of the 'Bridge of Peace' initiative, during which representatives of the civil societies of Armenia and Azerbaijan met. The Azerbaijani delegation arrived in Armenia through the delimited and demarcated section of the land border, completing all relevant procedures.
