Azerbaijan extends land border closure, including with Georgia, until July 1

Azerbaijan has extended its land border closure until July 1, as confirmed by a decree issued by Prime Minister Ali Asadov, Azerbaijani media reported on Tuesday.

The country’s land borders have remained closed since the spring of 2020, with authorities maintaining restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Baku has stated the quarantine regime will persist “as long as the need for it persists.” President Ilham Aliyev has defended the ongoing border closure, describing it as a measure that prevented “a very big catastrophe.”

At present, entry into Azerbaijan is only permitted by air, while foreigners and stateless persons are allowed to exit the country via land borders.

In a potential shift, rail traffic between Georgia and Azerbaijan may resume on May 1. Calls to reopen the land route have come from ethnic Azerbaijanis in Georgia, as well as the country’s fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili.

Despite the World Health Organization declaring the COVID-19 pandemic over in May 2023, Azerbaijan has not yet reopened its land borders with any neighboring countries, maintaining closures initially implemented to curb the spread of the virus.