BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 5. Azerbaijan's Prime Minister Ali Asadov attended the Third UN conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) in the Awaza national tourism zone in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan, today, the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers told Trend.
The delegation led by Asadov participated in the plenary session of the conference.
Speaking at the meeting, the prime minister welcomed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and other heads of state and government attending the event on behalf of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
Touching on Azerbaijani-Turkmen relations, Asadov said that these relations are based on shared heritage, history and mutual respect.
In this regard, he emphasized the importance of the recent visit to Azerbaijan by the Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, highlighting that the visit created new opportunities for further strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership.
Asadov said that notwithstanding its status as a landlocked country, Azerbaijan's transportation policy and new modern infrastructure have transformed geographical limitations into opportunities.
The official mentioned that Azerbaijan makes a significant contribution to East-West and North-South transport corridors.
"The largest merchant fleet in the Caspian Sea, consisting of more than 50 ships, a shipyard currently producing 10 ships, the Baku International Sea Trade Port, whose capacity will reach 25 million tons per year in the coming years, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, nine international airports, the largest air cargo company in the region, and many other factors have turned Azerbaijan into one of the international transport hubs," Asadov noted.
The prime minister said that container trains from a number of Chinese cities reach the Azerbaijani capital Baku in just 10-12 days, which underscores the importance of the Middle Corridor as an important international trade route.
Asadov emphasized the importance of cooperation within the framework of the UN Special Program for SPECA countries.
Speaking about the big prospects for cooperation in digital connectivity, Asadov emphasized that Azerbaijan is implementing a digital transformation initiative, including through the large-scale Digital Silk Road project.
He appreciated joint efforts to strengthen climate resilience.
Informing the conference participants about Azerbaijan's hosting of COP29 last year, the prime minister said that despite less than a year of preparatory work, a successful outcome was achieved and historic decisions on climate action were made.
He also drew attention to the environmental challenges facing the Caspian region, in particular the continuing decline in the level of the Caspian Sea.
Asadov emphasized the importance of joint efforts by the Caspian states to address common environmental problems.
He pointed out that at the sixth summit of the Caspian states, held in Ashgabat in 2022, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev highlighted the problem of the Caspian Sea's shallowing.
The prime minister also said that following the initiative of the head of state, steps are being taken to create expert groups to study the causes of this process and develop measures to mitigate it.
In conclusion, Asadov stressed the need to take advantage of all opportunities to strengthen landlocked developing countries, integrate their regions, and develop partnerships for a more prosperous world, and expressed Azerbaijan's readiness to contribute to this work with its experience, resources, and goodwill.
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