Azerbaijan’s annual Remembrance Day is honouring soldiers who died in the 2020 war while also drawing attention to a changing South Caucasus. Six years after the conflict, emerging rail, telecommunications and diplomatic links with Armenia are presenting cautious signs of regional normalisation.
The commemoration is rooted in the 44-day war and the decades of conflict that followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union. But this year’s focus also reflects a wider effort to turn the post-war period into a phase of reconstruction, economic cooperation and longer-term peace.
From remembrance to regional normalisation
The end of hostilities in November 2020 altered the political and security balance between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Subsequent negotiations have focused on issues including border delimitation, reconciliation and the reopening of transport connections.
A joint declaration signed during a trilateral meeting in Washington on 8 August 2025 provided a framework for pursuing a comprehensive peace agreement. The process remains dependent on continued diplomacy and implementation, but economic contacts have already begun to expand.
For Azerbaijan, the development of cross-border links is part of a broader attempt to connect reconstruction with regional integration. For Armenia, improved access to transport and communications routes could create new opportunities for trade and international transit.
Rail freight creates a new channel for trade
One of the clearest practical changes has been the movement of freight by rail. Following the lifting of transit restrictions by Azerbaijan in late 2025, cargo began travelling towards Armenia through Azerbaijan Railways.
Shipments have primarily moved from Bilajari station towards the Boyuk Kasik junction near the Georgian border before continuing into Armenia. The route supports direct trade between the two countries and also provides a corridor for goods travelling between third countries.
State customs data cited in the source indicate that Azerbaijan’s direct exports to Armenia exceeded $17 million, or more than €15 million, between January and August 2026. That represented 0.08% of Azerbaijan’s global exports, but the cargo volumes were significant.
Reported direct shipments included:
- About 17,000 tonnes of diesel fuel
- Approximately 5,000 tonnes of AI-92 and AI-95 petrol
- A small reciprocal shipment from Armenia valued at $960 in March
The wider rail corridor has also carried agricultural products, fertiliser, propane gas and industrial materials. Recorded freight included almost 60,000 tonnes of wheat, barley and buckwheat, more than 9,000 tonnes of fertiliser and over 1,400 tonnes of propane.
Coal, timber and aluminium were also transported through Azerbaijani territory. The figures underline how trade routes can begin operating before a full political settlement has been completed.
Digital infrastructure adds another layer of cooperation
Cooperation has extended beyond physical transport. Azerbaijan’s AzerTelecom and Armenia’s Telecom Armenia have implemented a digital transit arrangement under which part of Armenia’s international internet traffic is routed through Azerbaijan.
The companies have described the arrangement as a way to diversify connection routes and improve the reliability of telecommunications networks. It also supports wider infrastructure ambitions linked to the Digital Silk Way project.
The arrangement is not one-way. Azerbaijan can use Armenia’s telecommunications network to transmit data traffic to Nakhchivan, the Azerbaijani exclave separated from the rest of the country by Armenian territory and neighbouring states.
Such cooperation remains technical rather than political, but reliable communications infrastructure can support future commercial links and reduce dependence on a limited number of regional routes.
Transport corridors remain central to the peace process
Both countries are preparing for broader, multi-directional transit. Physical exports from Armenia across Azerbaijani territory are not yet active, but official planning anticipates stronger commercial ties after a final peace treaty.
Armenia’s state programme for 2026 to 2031 includes plans to develop commercial relations with Azerbaijan and unblock regional transport links. Railway construction is also continuing in the Ordubad direction.
A proposed route through Armenia’s Syunik region, known as the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, is intended to connect Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan. Its future operation, however, depends on political agreements, infrastructure and the practical arrangements governing transit.
Dialogue is expanding beyond government negotiations
Normalisation efforts are also taking place through international institutions and civil society. Azerbaijan supported Armenia’s candidacy for membership of the Eastern European Group of the COP Bureau, while Armenia supported Azerbaijan’s successful bid to host COP29 in Baku.
In April 2026, the Peace Bridge format brought Armenian and Azerbaijani civil society representatives together in Gabala for a fourth round of dialogue. Participants stressed the importance of continued contact and cross-border engagement as both societies prepare for the possible implementation of a final peace agreement.
A further diplomatic signal came on 18 September, when Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the Hessian Peace Prize at the Hesse State Parliament in Wiesbaden. During the ceremony, Pashinyan said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev was equally deserving of recognition for his contribution to the peace process.
What happens next?
The next stage will depend on whether diplomatic commitments can be converted into a comprehensive and durable peace agreement. Key issues include border arrangements, transport access, infrastructure security and the development of reciprocal trade.
For the wider South Caucasus, reopened railways and digital networks could improve links between Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and international markets. For businesses, the benefits will depend on predictable rules, functioning infrastructure and confidence that routes will remain open.
Remembrance Day therefore carries two messages. It preserves the memory of those killed in the 2020 conflict, while the growth of trade and communications links shows how former rivals are testing the practical foundations of a different regional future. Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day is not itself a peace agreement, but it comes as economic cooperation offers one of the clearest measures of whether normalisation is taking hold.
