BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. Azerbaijan and China have reached a landmark agreement to significantly expand cooperation in international road freight transport, including a major increase in permit quotas, the Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency (AYNA) told Trend.
The first-ever meeting on international road transport between the AYNA and the Transport Services Department of the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China was held in Urumqi on April 23-24. Representatives of Azerbaijani carriers and the Azerbaijan International Road Carriers Association also took part in the discussions.
During the meeting, the parties reviewed the current state and prospects of international road freight transportation between the two countries and exchanged views on expanding cooperation.
A key agreement was reached to exchange additional permit forms for international freight transport. For 2026, an extra 5,000 permits were allocated for bilateral and transit transportation, and 2,500 permits for transportation to and from third countries. As a result, the total quota of exchanged permits for international freight transport this year has increased by 5 times, with both sides expressing confidence that carrier demand will be fully met this year and next.
The parties also agreed to digitalize the issuance and exchange of permit forms. A joint technical working group will be established to implement the digitalization project, with work set to begin on May 1. This initiative is expected to reduce operational challenges and make transport processes more transparent and efficient.
In addition, a mechanism was agreed upon to ensure operational interaction between relevant authorities for the prompt resolution of issues arising during international freight transportation.
As part of the visit, the Azerbaijani delegation met with officials of the Khorgos border checkpoint on April 25 and got acquainted with the activities of logistics centers operating in the Khorgos Free Trade Zone.
Officials noted that the Khorgos checkpoint currently operates 8 lanes (including 4 entry and 4 exit lanes) and facilitates the daily passage of up to 1,200 freight vehicles. Taking into account the growing cargo flow, plans are in place to increase the number of lanes to 20 within the next two years.
The sides also discussed opportunities to strengthen cooperation between national carriers and logistics centers, agreeing to initiate steps to build direct links.
Additionally, a symposium was held in Khorgos with the participation of relevant Chinese authorities, international road transport associations, and Azerbaijani and Chinese carriers, where participants discussed challenges faced during international freight transport, possible solutions, and ways to establish direct connections between carriers.
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