NATO member Turkey has moved to take advantage of a new U.S.-backed economic corridor dubbed the “Trump Bridge.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed the Zangezur Corridor, which links Azerbaijan proper to its Nakhchivan exclave via southern Armenia, on Tuesday, as Ankara has begun constructing a new railway line along the route.
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian and Iranian foreign ministries for comment.
Why It Matters
A U.S.-brokered peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan signed on August 8, grants the United States a 99-year lease on the corridor, which the White House is calling it the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, or the “Trump Bridge.”
The project could provide U.S. forces with direct access to the border area north of the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan, prompting security concerns in Tehran. It also increases America’s strategic presence in the South Caucasus, a region historically under Russian influence, and both Tehran and Moscow have expressed security concerns.
President Donald Trump, center, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, right, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, left, depart a trilateral signing ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on August…
President Donald Trump, center, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, right, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, left, depart a trilateral signing ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on August 8, 2025.
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Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo
What To Know
Erdoğan said the Zangezur Corridor would help maintain peace, spur the development of road and rail networks in the region, open up borders and boost trade, Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday.
Turkey has begun constructing a railway linking its northeastern province of Kars to Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave as part of the Zangezur Corridor, aiming to boost Asia-Europe connectivity through the South Caucasus, the Daily Sabah reported.
The Kars-Iğdır-Aralık-Dilucu line, being built by Kalyon İnşaat, will facilitate passenger and freight transport between the two countries.
Erdoğan had stressed Turkey’s desire to realize the Zangezur Corridor “as soon as possible,” highlighting its importance for regional connectivity and its startegic importance for Trukey and for Ankara-Baku relations, according to Anadolu Agency in 2023.
What People Are Saying
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was quoted by the Azerbaijani Press Agency (APA) as saying on Tuesday: “Russia and Iran will also understand in the future that their concerns were unfounded.”
Murathan Kalyoncu, Chairman of the Board of Kalyon İnşaat, said according to the company’s X account on August 22, translated from Turkish: “Now, we are immensely happy and proud to bring to life the 224 km-long Kars–Iğdır–Aralık-Dilucu Railway Project, which is a significant part of the Zangezur Corridor. This project holds great strategic importance not only for our country but also for Europe, Azerbaijan and Central Asia. It constitutes one of the most critical components of the east-west axis of the Silk Road Economic Belt.”
What Happens Next
Once finished, the project is anticipated to cut the current Asia-Europe transit time from 18 days down to 12 days, the Daily Sabah said, citing the company.