The Meghri section of the railway was historically administered by Azerbaijan: Mamedyarov

The signing of the “Trump Route” is only the first step and must be followed by detailed negotiations, Azerbaijan’s former foreign minister Elmar Mamedyarov said, according to Azerbaijani media.

“Azerbaijan must be a full-fledged participant in those negotiations in two directions: with the Government of Armenia and with the American side, both the operator company and the U.S. government. The main subject of discussion should be the specific legal and technical regime for operating the railway section,” he said.

According to him, there is a fundamental legal issue rooted in the Soviet past: the Meghri section of the railway was historically administered by Azerbaijan Railways rather than by the national network. This creates grounds for possible Azerbaijani claims for a special status for this infrastructure.

“Considering that in 1938 Armenia transferred control of its railways to Russia, legal clarification is needed: did this transfer also apply to the section that was in fact under Azerbaijan’s jurisdiction? Therefore, the government and ‘Azerbaijan Railways’ should consult their Russian counterparts to clarify the legal status of this asset,” Mamedyarov noted.

He argues that the negotiation process should be expanded to include Türkiye as a key regional and strategic ally, and that the Turkish side should understand the final configuration of the route.

“It is planned not only to establish a link with Nakhchivan, but also a possible extension of the line through Turkey’s Iğdır to integrate it into the existing network (Kars-Iğdır-Nakhchivan). The construction of the missing section from Kaghzman to Iğdır has already been discussed at a high level and has attracted interest, but its implementation has always been constrained by economic feasibility, especially under the conditions of Nakhchivan’s blockade,” the former foreign minister said.

In his view, the most complicated and sensitive aspect is ensuring security, especially during passenger transportation.

“The document formally places responsibility on Armenia’s law-enforcement and border agencies. However, Azerbaijan should insist on detailed guarantees. There is a real risk of incidents along the route that could lead to serious interstate crises. Moreover, the role of Russian border guards protecting the Armenian-Iranian border must be clarified. It is also logical to assume their participation in the new corridor, which requires separate trilateral consultations,” Mamedyarov said.

He added that, contrary to initial expectations, the existence of this corridor could also be useful for Russia in the context of sanctions pressure and the closure of traditional routes to Europe.

“Russia was a party to the November 10, 2020 agreement, and its interest in an alternative route to reach international markets is obvious. This issue will become the subject of a separate dialogue between Washington and Moscow. The TRIPP document initiates not a project, but a complex, multi-layered negotiation process. Azerbaijan is an active architect of the rules for the corridor’s future operation, defending its historical, legal, economic and, most importantly, security interests across all negotiating tracks with Armenia, the United States, Türkiye and Russia,” the former foreign minister concluded.