Armenia-Azerbaijan internet transit deal sparks security concerns

(Horizon Media / YEREVAN) – A new telecommunications agreement between Armenia’s Team Telecom and Azerbaijan’s AzerTelecom has raised questions about the security implications of allowing Azerbaijani internet traffic to pass through Armenian infrastructure, JAMNews reported.

Under the arrangement, Azerbaijan would be able to use Armenia’s fibre optic network to establish a connection with Nakhchivan. Team Telecom has described the deal as a commercial transit project, but the financial terms have not been made public. The agreement is still awaiting approval from Armenia’s National Security Service.

Armenian company officials say the arrangement does not give Azerbaijan access to the content of data moving through the network. Instead, they say AzerTelecom would only use cable capacity to transmit traffic between two points, with connections planned near Kornidzor and Yeraskh, along Armenia’s borders. The Azerbaijani side is expected to receive access to a 100 gigabit per second route.

Still, the agreement has drawn concern because it introduces a new layer of digital dependence and exposure in a highly sensitive political environment. One of the main worries raised by experts is not that Azerbaijan could directly read encrypted communications, but that traffic patterns, routing information and metadata could potentially be studied.

Information security specialist Ruben Muradyan warned that if Armenian traffic is also routed through AzerTelecom’s infrastructure, it could be examined through deep packet inspection systems. Such tools may not reveal the actual content of messages protected by encryption, but they can still help build profiles of users, track communication behaviour and identify organisations or individuals using fixed IP addresses.

Muradyan also pointed to the risk of BGP route manipulation, which could allow targeted traffic to be redirected through Azerbaijani networks. He said the concerns are particularly relevant for Team Telecom customers, as well as politicians, journalists, NGOs and other public actors who may face greater exposure.

Other Armenian specialists cited by JAMNews were less alarmed, arguing that large scale surveillance would require major technical capacity and that targeted cyberattacks remain a more realistic threat. They also noted that Armenia could benefit from becoming a stronger regional transit hub, especially as digital routes diversify across the South Caucasus.

Even so, the deal is likely to remain controversial. While Team Telecom presents it as a business opportunity that could strengthen Armenia’s role in regional connectivity, critics argue that any arrangement involving Azerbaijani infrastructure should be handled with maximum transparency, strict security oversight and clear guarantees that Armenia will not become dependent on routes controlled by Baku.