Minister: Transport project in Azerbaijan aimed to support wider regional co-op

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Transport projects being implemented in Azerbaijan are designed to support broader regional cooperation, meeting the domestic needs of the country and turning Azerbaijan into an international transport and logistics center, the country’s Digital Development and Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev said, Azernews reports.

He made remarks speaking at the roundtable on “New views and opportunities for sustainable transport communication between Europe and Asia”, organized at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Speaking at the roundtable, he informed the participants of transport projects implemented in the country and international transport corridors, of which Azerbaijan is a member.

The minister mentioned that Azerbaijan has invested billions of dollars in its transport infrastructure over the past two decades.

“Azerbaijan has built roads and railroads, launched new international airports, and strengthened the civilian maritime and air cargo fleets. It has also developed the Baku International Seaport and created the Alat Free Economic Zone,” he said.

Moreover, Rashad Nabiyev underlined that the current geopolitical situation has further augmented the strategic importance of Azerbaijan in international transportation.

“Over a short period of time, there has been a sharp increase in the volume of transit cargoes passing through Azerbaijan’s territory,” he said.

He also noted that Azerbaijan is an active supporter of the Middle Corridor, recalling that in October 2017, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which is one of the main arteries of the Middle Corridor and connects the Trans-European and Trans-Asian railway networks, was commissioned.

The event was attended by members of the European Parliament, representatives of the European Commission, the European External Action Service, think tanks, as well as the World Customs Organization Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya.