03:40, 26 June 2026

The quarantine regime in Azerbaijan has been extended until October 1.

Azerbaijani authorities have extended the special quarantine regime, introduced in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the closure of land borders for another three months.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in December, the Azerbaijani government extended the quarantine regime until April 1, 2026, and in March, until July 1.

Land borders will remain closed until the end of the special quarantine regime, but the ban does not apply to cargo transportation. Foreigners arriving in Azerbaijan by air may also exit through land borders.

Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov signed a decree extending the special quarantine regime in the country for another three months, until October 1, 2026.

The decision was made "to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the country and the possible complications it may cause," according to a document published on the Azerbaijani government's website.

In Azerbaijan, the coronavirus epidemic had already reached virtually zero in October 2022, and on May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization lifted the pandemic status for COVID-19.

As part of the quarantine regime, restrictions on crossing land borders remain in place in Azerbaijan. Officials attribute the closure to "security concerns," while opposition figures point to the authorities' political and economic interests in extending them, Meydan TV reports.

In September 2024, President Ilham Aliyev stated that keeping the borders closed was also due to "external risks" to Azerbaijan's security. "The fact that our land borders have remained closed in recent years has saved us from very serious disasters. Even today, when the borders remain closed, dangerous actions are taken, and they are stopped. Therefore, border security will protect us from external risks," the state-run Azertac news agency quoted Aliyev as saying.

On May 26, after a six-year hiatus, train service between Baku and Tbilisi was resumed . The opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Baku train service was presented by Azerbaijan Railways as "state concern" for passengers, but in reality, passengers have so far been unable to purchase tickets at the minimum advertised price of 81 manat. Furthermore, ticket sales for the return Tbilisi-Baku route have effectively been stopped, although passengers report plenty of empty seats on trains in this direction, the publication reported on June 16.

Restrictions on crossing land borders violate people's right to freedom of movement, guaranteed by the Constitution of Azerbaijan, Samad Rahimli, head of the "Defender" center, stated in December 2024.

"There is no reasonable justification for this. [...] Azerbaijan is currently the only country in the world whose land borders have not been opened since the end of the pandemic," he told the Caucasian Knot. Activists then initiated a campaign to file complaints with the Constitutional Court.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/424416