- Статьи
- World
- The blockade from within: why Azerbaijan has been keeping its land border closed for six years
The blockade from within: why Azerbaijan has been keeping its land border closed for six years
Azerbaijan remains the only country in the world that, under the pretext of fighting the already forgotten coronavirus, keeps the land border closed for citizens to travel. Local deputies extend this decision for three months each time, the last time it was extended in March. At the same time, the authorities emphasize that this is not only about the fight against covid, but also about security threats, although they do not provide any details. Izvestia found out what the blockade is really about.
The crown is pressing
Azerbaijan closed its land border in April 2020. At that time, railway and automobile trips, as well as pedestrian crossings through checkpoints, were put on pause. These norms applied to all neighboring countries — Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey and Iran.
At that moment, this measure looked quite logical, because the coronavirus pandemic was spreading around the world. "We urge citizens to exercise restraint and understanding, comply with the rules of quarantine and self—isolation, and refrain from traveling in order to support internal quarantine measures," the government said in a statement.
Since then, all countries of the world have opened their borders, but Azerbaijan has remained an exception. The deputies of the Parliament of the Republic extend the quarantine regime every three months, the last time they did it in March. The current restrictions are in effect until July, but they will probably be extended again in the summer.
Parliamentarians traditionally do not comment on their decision in any way. At the same time, back in 2023, the World Health Organization announced the end of the pandemic. At the same time, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Health stopped publishing daily reports on the incidence of covid.
In addition, in 2025, the agency issued a statement stating that mass vaccination of citizens had ended in the country. "Currently, the majority of the population is immune to coronavirus, and COVID-19 is estimated at the level of seasonal respiratory viruses," the publication said. It was also noted that vaccination against influenza is considered much more important.
At the same time, it must be said that exceptions to the rule are made periodically. In particular, after the outbreak of the war between the United States and Israel with Iran, Azerbaijan opened a section of its land border and allowed several thousand refugees to pass through its territory. Russian diplomats, among others, were able to evacuate from the Islamic Republic by this route. In addition, many foreigners are allowed to leave the country by land.
Overall, however, the decision has had a serious impact on migration flows. For example, in the last pre-2019 year, 1.1 million people entered Russia from Azerbaijan, which was the highest figure among all the Transcaucasian republics. But according to the results of last year, only 430 thousand visits were recorded, Armenia won the palm in the region in terms of the number of trips to Russia.
Karabakh and beyond
Due to the closed borders, Azerbaijan's internal economic balances have changed significantly. Residents of the border areas used to survive on small-scale trade and the opportunity to play on the price difference in neighboring countries. "Now these people are facing declining incomes and are increasingly moving to Baku and other major cities in search of work," says economist Rashad Hasanov.
Family ties have also become complicated. Previously, ethnic Azerbaijanis who live in Georgia or southern Russia could come to their relatives by land, but now they have to get to a major airport, fly to Baku, and from there proceed to their native village. In conversations with journalists, they complain that the prices of air tickets are rising, the road itself has become more complicated, so even weddings and funerals have to be skipped.
In addition, the tourism sector suffered losses. Residents of Azerbaijan's neighboring countries now also travel by plane, which is much more expensive. Economist Natig Jafarli reports that in this regard, the country is missing hundreds of thousands of visits, and annual losses exceed $250 million. "Neighboring open Georgia receives 7 million tourists a year, while Ours receives at best 1.5—1.6 million," he emphasizes.
The main question is, why hasn't the decision been reversed yet? In one of his speeches, President Ilham Aliyev admitted that it was not only the coronavirus, but also some "threats coming from outside."
"After our borders were closed, security in Azerbaijan increased. There were many cases in the old days. Some of them were made public, some were not," he noted, although he did not provide any details.
According to one opinion, the blockade of the country was connected with the events around Karabakh. In the fall of 2020, as a result of the war with the Armenian forces, Baku reconquered most of the region, fully regained control over it in 2023, and the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was dissolved. It is believed that the authorities at that time kept the borders closed precisely in order to prevent the penetration of certain Armenian saboteurs.
The situation in the region remained alarming due to other events. After the start of the SVO in Ukraine, a flood of Russian relocators poured into Transcaucasia. Baku did not want to receive thousands of unsettled people, so they saw the benefits of closed borders here. This year, the situation in the Middle East has worsened, and in the current conditions, Baku also allegedly believes that it would be more correct to build a barrier against external processes.
According to another opinion, the authorities simply benefit from the fact that the state-owned airline AZAL, associated with the ruling clans, carries more passengers and makes substantial profits.
Finally, under another assumption, it is considered that it is more convenient for the Azerbaijani leadership to manage in conditions of partial blockade. Residents of the republic have less contact with the outside world, which means they are more exposed to their own propaganda.
The fight against separatism
The Azerbaijani authorities are afraid of the growth of separatist sentiments, political analyst Artur Araev believes. Lezgins live in the south of Dagestan and in the north of Azerbaijan, who consider themselves a divided people, he clarifies.
— Baku seems to take these arguments seriously, so they keep the border closed to prevent communication, communication and business contacts between representatives of the same ethnic group. In addition, the republic continues to be in a difficult environment, with unresolved issues with Armenia and difficult relations with Russia over the past year and a half. Apparently, it is considered easier to keep the border in its current state," the expert notes.
The border issue in Azerbaijan has a long history, recalls Vadim Mukhanov, Head of the Caucasus Sector at the IMEMO RAS. According to him, since the declaration of independence, the line of contact with Armenia has been blocked, and in some periods there have been problems on the borders with Iran and Russia. The pandemic remains the official reason for the closure of the land border, but the real reasons are political in nature, the expert believes.
— Firstly, against the background of alarming winds in Eurasia, Baku minimizes the risks to its own security. Secondly, the country's leadership just seems comfortable governing in a closed format. This makes it easier to control the internal political situation and the movements of one's own population," he explains.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
