BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 13. Together with a member of the Azerbaijan International Road Carriers Association (ABADA), close cooperation is underway across several priority areas, including work on the Middle Corridor and the simplification of border-crossing procedures, Tatiana Rey-Bellet, Director of TIR and Transit at the International Road Transport Union (IRU), told Trend.
"Our goal is to turn the Middle Corridor into a model corridor based on three key principles: simplification, digitalization, and harmonization. Azerbaijan’s Minister of Transport, acting as the lead for the transport track at COP29, as well as ministers from countries around the world, have confirmed their intention to promote the Middle Corridor as an example of sustainable, interconnected, digital, and reliable development. Azerbaijan plays a key role in strengthening the resilience of the Middle Corridor," Rey-Bellet said.
She noted that countries located along the Middle Corridor have also committed to ensuring the full operation of the eTIR and e-CMR systems. According to her, the private sector is fully ready for this, while "business-to-business" and "business-to-customs" connections are ensured through TIR IT tools provided by the IRU.
"Customs administrations now have a key role to play in cooperation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and in establishing connections between customs authorities that are legally enshrined in Annex 11 of the TIR Convention, as well as in implementing the e-CMR system. All that is needed to advance these initiatives is political will," Rey-Bellet explained.
She added that Azerbaijan became a pioneer in the implementation of eTIR and, in 2022, was the first country to test the first eTIR transport operation.
According to her, the overall goal of the IRU for 2026 is to make eTIR functional for the remaining countries of the Middle Corridor.
"As for simplifying border crossings, visits to border points help identify bottlenecks and open up opportunities to accelerate trade. Together with Union members, recommendations have been prepared focusing on major border crossings between Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as between Iran and Azerbaijan. Further prospects are linked to the gradual opening of new transit opportunities in the region. One such opportunity is the expansion of trade ties between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The first transit operations have already been carried out. We look forward to continuing these efforts at the ITF Summit 2026 in Leipzig, Germany, under Azerbaijan’s chairmanship," Rey-Bellet concluded.
The Middle Corridor is a transport and trade route passing through several countries in the region and connecting Asia with Europe. It serves as an alternative to the traditional Northern and Southern corridors.
The route begins in China and passes through Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then crosses the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye before reaching Europe. The Middle Corridor is a land-based route that bypasses longer maritime paths, linking eastern parts of Asia, including China, with Europe.