Türkiye Opens Armenia Freight Rail, Revives Four Seas Corridor
Türkiye opened the Akhalkalaki-Kars freight rail to Armenian imports and exports, with PM Nikol Pashinyan saying the route gives Armenia rail access to Russia, China and the EU. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani revived the Four Seas Project to link the Persian Gulf, Mediterranean, Black Sea and Caspian as an alternative to the closed Strait of Hormuz. Türkiye is preparing the rotating presidency of the Organization of Turkic States, and Turkish Airlines chair Murat Şeker said the Iran crisis has put the carrier on track for top international spot, with many March flights over 90 percent full.
Türkiye and Armenia opened the Akhalkalaki-Kars railway line to Armenian imports and exports. Serdar Kılıç, Türkiye's special representative for normalising ties with Yerevan, said the line would "improve quadruple cooperation among Türkiye, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia" and contribute to regional peace and stability. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan thanked partners in Türkiye and Georgia and said the route gives Armenia rail access to Russia via Georgia and Azerbaijan, to China via Russia and Kazakhstan, and strengthens its connection with the European Union; rail links with Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Iran are expected to follow. The opening comes alongside Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz's recent Yerevan visit -- the highest-ranking Turkish trip to Armenia since former president Abdullah Gül -- and a deal to jointly restore the ancient Ani Bridge on the border.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani revived the Four Seas Project in Ankara, a rail, road and pipeline initiative first floated in 2009 and shelved during the Syrian civil war. Its objective is to connect the Persian Gulf, Mediterranean, Black Sea and Caspian Sea, offering an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea routes disrupted by the US-Israeli war with Iran and Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping. The corridor would integrate Syria into a regional trade network anchored on Türkiye, Jordan and potentially Saudi Arabia and Oman.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye is preparing to take the rotating presidency of the Organization of Turkic States later this year, after an informal summit of the bloc in Turkistan, Kazakhstan, themed "Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development". The OTS spans more than 170 million people and combined GDP exceeding $2 trillion, with analysts framing the body as evolving from a cultural platform into a "techno-geopolitical" bloc; Erdoğan said the Turkic world could play a more efficient role on regional security and economic integration.
Turkish Airlines chairperson Murat Şeker said the conflict triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February has put the carrier on a faster trajectory towards becoming the world's largest international airline, with the company reallocating planes to Asian and African routes as Gulf rivals absorbed disruption. Many flights in March operated above 90 percent capacity, and Şeker said growth projections may be raised if demand holds. He noted fuel costs at roughly double pre-conflict levels but said capacity discipline and ticket pricing were offsetting the bill.