BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 6. The development of the Middle Corridor has been at the center of attention in Azerbaijan and partner countries this week, Trend reports.
Thus, Bulgarian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ruslan Stoyanov stated following the sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan in Baku on July 1 that Bulgaria is interested in the Middle Corridor, recognizing its important role in ensuring the chain of cargo deliveries from Asia to the EU and back, in particular, the supply of oil products from the Caspian region.
Azerbaijan and China signed a memorandum on July 2, which will contribute to the growth of transportation volumes along the Middle Corridor, Azerbaijan Railways CJSC reported.
The press service of Akorda reported that on the next day, on July 3, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of China Xi Jinping took part in a virtual ceremony of sending trucks and railway containers by ferry along the Middle Corridor.
Explaining the event, Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company CJSC (ASCO) announced that the vessel ferry "Mercury 1," which is on the balance of ASCO, on July 3 from the port of Kuryk to the port of Baku went on a voyage with 26 trucks from China on board, which, after accelerated delivery to Baku through the Caspian Sea via the Middle Corridor, went further on their way to Türkiye and Europe.
Azerbaijan Railroads" CJSC, in turn, announced that on the Middle Corridor from Chinese Xian to Baku, starting in July, one container block train is also sent daily regularly, and the journey takes about 12 days. The main types of cargo in containers are household goods, automobiles, and spare parts.
Vice President and Corporate Secretary of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Ludger Schuknecht stated in an interview with Trend that Baku is ready to support various initiatives on the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor), as it believes that the Middle Corridor is a key project for the region.
In an analytical article for the Smart Press portal, expert Vakhtang Chrdileli opined that Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan joining the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor) will strengthen the TITR, whose relevance in the global cargo supply chain is growing.
Azerbaijan's important role as a transport hub and the development of TİTR were discussed at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit this week.
Thus, an expert of Kazakhstan's Institute of World Economy Yersultan Zhanseitov on the sidelines of the meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State in Astana on June 4, noted that the most important transport corridors, including the Middle Corridor, cannot be realized without Azerbaijan today. The expert noted the great interest of the Chinese side in the expansion of this corridor and the practical steps in this direction. According to him, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are at the junction of transport corridors TITR and "North-South" and are interested in expanding transport links and strengthening transit potential.
According to Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, expressed at the SCO summit, it is necessary to continue work on reducing trade barriers throughout the SCO space to strengthen the multilateral trade system and transportation routes.
During the SCO summit on July 4, Tajikistan invited the SCO member states and partners to join the new system of cargo transportation permits, which was announced by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon. In his opinion, it is necessary to more actively use the potential of cooperation in the transport and energy spheres, taking into account the formation of international transport and transit corridors running from East to West and from North to South.
On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Qatar to join the North-South International Transport Corridor (ITC) during a meeting with Emir of the State of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and Russian industry agencies will be discussing details with their Qatari counterparts.
Regional transport corridors are in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and this week Baku International Sea Trade Port (BISTP) agreed with the UN Global Compact program to increase collaboration, particularly on sustainability initiatives.
Mastercard's regional manager in Azerbaijan Emil Zeynalov told Trend this week that Mastercard is currently working on expanding its participation in the implementation of transportation projects in Azerbaijan. Mastercard's activity is aimed at the convenience of payment for travel by passengers.
Azerbaijan Railways CJSC reported this week that it carried 3.8 million passengers from January through June 2024, which is 20 percent more than the same period last year and one percent more than Railways's half-year forecast.
The important news in Azerbaijan this week was that Azerbaijan's national airline, AZAL, started selling tickets on the Baku-Fuzuli-Baku route. AZAL informed that from July 17, the airline will start regular flights to Fuzuli International Airport twice a week - on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The flights will be operated from Terminal 2 of Heydar Aliyev International Airport.
Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel