Baku, September 22, 2025
Azerbaijan’s Cabinet of Ministers has extended the special quarantine regime until 6:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026, according to a decree signed by Prime Minister Ali Asadov.
The measure, introduced in 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19, effectively keeps the country’s land borders closed for the sixth consecutive year.
The government said the extension is aimed at preventing new waves of coronavirus infections and their potential consequences. While air travel has long since resumed under certain health protocols, Azerbaijan has repeatedly prolonged the closure of its land borders with neighboring countries.
The restrictions, initially framed as temporary, have had wide-ranging implications for regional mobility, trade, and cross-border communities. Critics note that by now the border closure functions as much as a political and security measure as a public health one.
The extension means Azerbaijan will maintain one of the longest continuous land border shutdowns in the post-pandemic world, a policy that has reshaped travel and logistics across the South Caucasus.
