In March of this year, Azerbaijan marked 5 years since it closed all its land borders – initially citing COVID-19 as the primary justification, then shifting to “security reasons”. This long-standing measure has significantly impacted both communication and trade across the region.
For over five years now, Azerbaijani citizens have faced restricted contact with relatives and others in neighboring countries such as Georgia, Iran, Russia, and Turkey. As of today, Azerbaijan remains the only country in the South Caucasus that continues to maintain fully closed land borders, and the citizens are permitted to travel only by air.
The impact of the land border closures extends beyond personal relationships. Businesses – especially those that depend on imports from neighboring countries – have been seriously disrupted. Shops near border regions and companies involved in import/export have suffered considerable losses.
This policy has had other serious consequences as well. Travel restrictions and high airfare forced Azerbaijani students in Turkey to stay through the semester break, with some losing their lives in the February 2023 earthquake. According to their friends, open borders could have saved them.
Following public outcry and media coverage, the land border with Turkey was temporarily opened between April and May 2023 – but only for students and their immediate families.
Currently, the only exception to this closure applies to Azerbaijani citizens officially registered in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, who are allowed to cross the Azerbaijan-Turkey land border. This rare exception was confirmed by the Azerbaijani Embassy in Turkey on February 13, 2025.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s state-run airline AZAL, which is closely linked to the ruling Aliyev family, has gained a near-monopoly on international travel due to the lack of land routes. Foreign airlines are subjected to heavy taxation, allowing AZAL to dominate the market and freely set its ticket prices. In fact, 2022 marked the airline’s first-ever net profit.
In recent times, the situation has become increasingly political. Travel bans have been imposed on individuals with dissenting political views, suggesting that the government is using the land border closures, alongside travel restrictions, as a tool to suppress political opposition and limit foreign influence that could challenge the regime’s grip on power.