The Turkish Ministry of Transport has announced plans to build a railway line to the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan. The line will run along the Kars – Igdir – Aralik – Dilucu corridor, providing a direct railway link from Turkey to Azerbaijan's Nakhichevan corridor. The 224 km line could be seen as a sign that Turkey expects progress on the overland transport corridors between Nakhichevan and the remainder of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan, for its part, is seeking a direct link to Nakhichevan via the Zangezur Corridor, which would pass through the southernmost point of Armenia. However, this plan has met with considerable resistance, particularly from Armenia and Iran. Armenia refuses to give up its territorial sovereignty and Iran sees such a corridor as a disturbance to the regional balance of power. Moreover, Iran would lose its common border with Armenia. Azerbaijan dropped its demand for the establishment of the corridor in peace talks in early 2024. Iran has proposed an alternative idea: the Aras Corridor, which runs through Iranian territory, could be improved and serve as a shortened corridor between Azerbaijan and its exclave of Nakhichevan.
