The Iraqi government launched a pilot bus route from Iraq to Armenia through Iran, Rudaw reported. 

Following the route’s debut on Saturday, the Ministry of Transportation announced that it had started the line connecting the three countries in a bid for Iraq to “develop international transportation and open up to neighboring and regional countries”.The pilot program was organized by the Iraqi public transport company, a division of the Ministry of Transport.

The bus left Baghdad early on Saturday morning. The ministry did not specify where it would stop on the way.

“Detailed plans have been put in place to make this line succeed and use it to serve Iraq in the different sectors of economy, trade, and tourism,” Abdullah al-Luaibi Bahis, head of the public transportation company, said in the statement.

A trilateral meeting is scheduled for the end of June between representatives of Iraq, Iran and Armenia to discuss issues that may hinder the work of the bus route.

An official from the Iraq’s Transportation Ministry told Rudaw English that the pilot program might eventually “pave the road” for a permanent bus route.