When Yerevan's deputy prime minister called the opening of Azerbaijani transit routes "significant", he was understating a seismic shift. Two countries forged in conflict are now exchanging fuel, grain, and, cautiously, trust.

It was, on the surface, a single sentence delivered at an intergovernmental council meeting in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. Mher Grigoryan, Armenia's deputy prime minister, described the lifting of transit restrictions through Azerbaijani territory as a "particularly noteworthy event" that "opens prospects for unlocking the full potential of the region."

Diplomatic boilerplate, perhaps. Except that it wasn't.

Perhaps, Grigoryan was not simply describing a logistical convenience. He was, in the terminology of Caucasus diplomacy, making a declaration of strategic intent. In linking this move to "strengthening mutual trust and advancing the peace agenda," Grigoryan was saying something that would have been considered unthinkable five years ago: namely, that the natural direction of Armenia is no longer around Baku but through it.

"The recent removal of transit restrictions to Armenia through Azerbaijan's territory is a particularly noteworthy event for us, as it opens........

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