BBC: Azerbaijan's Land Borders Have Been Closed for 3 Years

Since the onset of the pandemic, thousands of Azerbaijanis and Georgians have been deprived of the opportunity to see their relatives and have lost their businesses due to the Azerbaijani government's decision to keep land borders closed. Few believe the official government narrative that this measure is due to protection against Covid.

Tamara and her husband, Amir, have not seen their grandchild for four years, even though they live less than 200 kilometers from their daughter. She recently gave birth to another child, but the grandparents can only see him via Skype.

Tamara and Amir are ethnic Georgians living in the border town of Qakh in northern Azerbaijan. The heroes' names have been changed at their request; they are wary of openly discussing this issue for fear of incurring the ire of the Azerbaijani authorities.

In the past, Tamara and Amir would visit relatives in Georgia two to three times a year, but now they can only get there by plane from Baku. Trains to the capital have also not been operating since 2020, and traveling by bus requires covering almost 400 kilometers. A plane ticket costs at least 300 manats (176 dollars), nearly a month's salary for Tamara.

The 'special quarantine regime' was introduced in Azerbaijan in March 2020 as the world was shutting down due to the coronavirus. Strict rules and prohibitions were in place for the first two years. Most restrictions were lifted in the summer of 2022. The country’s airspace remained open even during the pandemic.

BBC sent a request to the government seeking clarification on why the borders remain closed, but no response was received by the time of publication. Georgia opened its land borders back in 2021, but those from the Azerbaijani side are still closed to everyone except Georgian citizens leaving Azerbaijan.

Until last summer, residents of Georgia could apply to the Azerbaijani consulate for permission to cross the land border, but such an option is no longer available. Both the opposition and the majority of ordinary citizens do not believe that the pandemic is the reason. Some think the closed borders are somehow related to the ongoing unrest in Nagorno-Karabakh, where a war occurred in the fall of 2020, while others suggest that the authorities fear an influx of Russians fleeing mobilization.

According to official data, around 10,000 ethnic Georgians live in Azerbaijan, making up 0.1% of the country's population. In contrast, there are many more Azerbaijanis in Georgia. According to the 2014 census, this ethnic group is the largest national minority in the country, making up 6.3% of the population, or 233,000 people. Almost all reside in the Kvemo Kartli region in southeast Georgia, and, unlike Qakh, most express dissatisfaction with the border situation during meetings.

“Everything here is dead,” says one taxi driver at the Red Bridge border point, where life used to thrive with lines of vendors selling cheese, wine, and Georgian spices. Passenger buses were plentiful, and taxi drivers would circle around looking for fares.

Now, it is deserted. One local Azerbaijani man shared that he paid 1,000 lari (380 dollars) for a plane ticket to take a friend’s child to Georgia, even though their home is very close to the border. “It’s only two kilometers from here to their house! I used to walk there, but now I can't,” he exclaims.

In Marneuli, a predominantly ethnic Azerbaijani town just forty minutes away, people start discussing the border issue as soon as they see a visitor from Baku. “When will you open the borders?” asks a woman selling spices at the local market. Shrugging my shoulders, I notice a crowd forming around us - both sellers and customers. They all speak at once, but the problems are the same: people from both sides cannot attend funerals, weddings, or access medical care.

The nearby town of Rustavi was an industrial hub during Soviet times, and now it’s known for selling used cars imported from around the world. For years, Azerbaijani citizens would buy cars here. Azamat has been working in the market for eight years. He says that since the borders closed, the number of customers has dropped. “Now a buyer has to tow the car, and he has to fly by plane. These are extra costs that restrict Azerbaijanis’ access,” he explains.

Travel Costs Rise

Compared to the pre-pandemic period, passenger traffic between Azerbaijan and Georgia has significantly decreased, while air travel has increased due to the closure of land borders. According to Azerbaijan's state statistical committee, 601,000 people arrived in Azerbaijan from Georgia in 2019, of which only 11,000 (less than 2%) traveled by plane. In 2022, with closed land borders, 83,000 people flew from Georgia to Azerbaijan.

In 2019, 1.35 million people visited Georgia from Azerbaijan, with 1.337 million crossing the land border, and only 16,000 (1.2%) flying. In 2022, 128,000 Azerbaijanis traveled to Georgia, all by plane.

Thus, air passenger traffic from Georgia to Azerbaijan increased nearly eightfold, while from Azerbaijan to Georgia, it rose four and a half times. There are currently only two airlines operating flights between Baku and Tbilisi: state-owned AZAL (Azerbaijani Airlines) and its low-cost subsidiary Buta Airways. In 2017, there were about eight such flights per week; now there are only four daily flights. Despite this, AZAL continues to operate at a loss.

Prices for flights from Baku are indeed quite high: the cheapest option to fly with Buta Airways to Tbilisi and back costs 168 dollars, while the average salary in the country is 765 manats (450 dollars). For similar distances, flights between European countries are usually several times cheaper. The high cost of airline tickets in Azerbaijan is a concern for both ordinary citizens and parliament members. Representatives of Hungarian low-cost WizzAir and Turkish Pegasus operating in the Azerbaijani market explain that such high prices are due to high service costs at Baku airport.