Armenia’s TEAM Telecom and Azerbaijan’s AzerTelecom have signed an agreement that would allow Azerbaijan to use Armenian telecommunications infrastructure to establish an internet transit connection between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan. The arrangement gives Azerbaijan access to a fiber-optic cable route through Armenian territory, not to Armenia’s network or data, and according to one information security expert, it leaves Azerbaijan dependent on Armenia to maintain that connection.
Under the agreement, the Azerbaijani side will receive access to a fiber-optic cable route passing through Armenia, while TEAM Telecom will provide a transit service. The Armenian company has not disclosed how much Azerbaijan will pay for the service, saying the amount is a commercial matter. The connection points are expected to be established in Kornidzor and Yeraskh, but the agreement still requires approval from Armenia’s National Security Service.
Cable, Not Data
TEAM Telecom Deputy Director Aram Barseghyan said in an interview with Azatutyun that Azerbaijan will not receive access to Armenia’s internet network or any data. Instead, it will only be able to use the cable infrastructure for transit purposes. According to him, the Azerbaijani side will have access to a fiber-optic cable with a capacity of 100 gigabits per second, but there will be no direct connection to Armenia’s domestic network. “They will not connect to the Armenian network; they will use the cables,” Barseghyan said.
Explaining the technical details, he said the arrangement is similar to Armenia’s existing international cable connections with neighboring countries. “The cable does not enter Armenia itself; it reaches the border point. As with Georgia, Turkey, and Iran, each side brings its own cable, they are connected at the border, and the traffic goes from point A to point B,” he said.
Barseghyan added that the arrangement does not mean Armenia will provide internet access to Azerbaijan. “No, it is not internet. There is no internet flow. It is simply a transit channel through which they use their own internet. We are not selling them any Armenian data, we are not selling anything from Armenia. We are giving them the ability to reach from point A to point B so that they can connect Nakhichevan with Azerbaijan and the other way around,” he said.
A Strategic Advantage for Armenia
He described the agreement as a “very significant strategic advantage” for Armenia, arguing that Azerbaijan would also become dependent on Armenian infrastructure for maintaining connectivity with Nakhichevan and beyond.
Information security expert Samvel Martirosyan also commented on the agreement, saying Azerbaijan needs direct fiber-optic cable connections at least as much as Armenia does. According to Martirosyan, the situation differs from the transit of goods by rail, where Armenia could be more dependent because goods are mainly imported into Armenia rather than exported from the country. In the case of fiber-optic cables, he argued, the balance is different because Azerbaijan also needs Armenian territory to maintain communication between its mainland and Nakhichevan. “Azerbaijan needs this transit, it is the one that becomes dependent on us,” Martirosyan said.
He noted that Armenia would also benefit from the agreement by gaining an additional backup route for internet traffic. Martirosyan explained that if the main internet traffic routes coming through Georgia are disrupted or damaged, the new connection could serve as an alternative channel and increase Armenia’s digital resilience.
He pointed out that two fiber-optic cables connected to Azerbaijan are expected to pass through Armenian territory. He recalled that TEAM Telecom had previously reported that Armenian traffic accounts for only around 10 to 15 percent of the traffic carried through the fiber-optic trunk cables crossing Armenia, with the company actively involved in the transit of international traffic, including from Middle Eastern countries. He added that the development could allow Armenia to become part of a broader East-West digital transit corridor. “Now Kazakhstan will also start passing traffic through the territory of Armenia,” Martirosyan said.
The agreement has also been discussed in the context of the planned TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity) project. While the TEAM Telecom and AzerTelecom arrangement is not formally part of TRIPP, Barseghyan said it follows a similar logic. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly stated that TRIPP could include transit infrastructure through Armenia, including telecommunications cables, pipelines, and other infrastructure.
