Among the main events are:
- The post-Soviet countries are still trying to determine the best options of transport routes for cargo transportation to the neighboring countries and regions.
Thus, Ukraine delivered the draft agreement on the establishment of the Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Caspian Sea international transport corridor to Azerbaijan, Hennadii Zubko, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and minister of regional development, building, housing and communal services, said during the eleventh meeting of the joint Azerbaijani-Ukrainian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation in Baku.
"This major transport corridor, which synchronizes several routes, will be of great importance in strengthening the economic and trade relations,” he said. “A governing body is planned to be established within the corridor for the formation of an integrated freight transport development strategy in the region."
Zubko added that Ukraine and Azerbaijan continue the transport cooperation on Silk Road route, taking into account that the results of the test trip of a container train on the Ukraine - Georgia - Azerbaijan - Kazakhstan - China route proved the technical and technological possibilities of such shipments.
- Azerbaijan exempts foreign carriers from road tax for 3 years
Azerbaijan’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved the “Rules of exempting trucks, trailers and semi-trailers of foreign states from road tax and state fee”.
The rules entered into force from June 1, 2016 and will be in effect for three years.
The rules apply to foreign vehicles carrying freight to Iran and Turkey as well as from Iran and Turkey through Azerbaijan on condition of transportation through Azerbaijan’s territory via railways.
According to the rules, trucks, trailers and semi-trailers of foreign countries are exempt from road tax and state duty if they carry the transit goods at the last railway station while passing through the first customs checkpoint on the territory of Azerbaijan for further transportation to other countries.
Moreover, foreign vehicles, carrying the transit goods from other countries to Azerbaijan while passing through the nearest customs checkpoint at the first railway station in the territory of Azerbaijan, can be exempt from duties and taxes.
- Ukraine helps Azerbaijan to assemble AN-178 aircraft
Ukraine will present a preliminary program and structure of organizing, planning, constructing and ensuring the activity of an enterprise assembling Ukrainian AN-178 aircraft in Azerbaijan, Hennadii Zubko, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and minister of regional development, building, housing and communal services, said. The agreement was reached during the eleventh meeting of the joint Azerbaijani-Ukrainian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation in Baku.
Earlier, Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC and the Antonov State Enterprise reached the agreements on the production of Ukrainian AN-178 aircraft in Azerbaijan dated June 7, 2016.
The minister stressed that the decision was made in addition to those agreements.
Zubko added that the design capacity of the enterprise will be 12-15 aircraft annually.
- Eco-friendly transport may appear in Azerbaijan
Ganja Automobile Plant Production Association and the German Eurabus GmbH have signed a formal agreement for the assembly and sale of Eurabus electric buses in Azerbaijan and third countries, the plant said.
Eurabus 2.0 second-generation electric bus was presented at the car show in Belgium in 2013. Low-floor 12-meter Eurabus with ZAwheel 130 kW electric motor-wheels was produced by the German partner company - Ziehl-Abegg Automotive GmbH. Eurabus is absolutely eco-friendly.
Some 1.06 billion passengers were transported in Azerbaijan in January-July 2016 or by 1.9 percent more than in the same period of 2015, the Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee’s report said.
The Azerbaijani transport sector carried 123.6 million tons of cargo or by 2.3 percent less than in January-July 2015.
According to the report, the volume of non-oil cargo increased by 1.2 percent for the year, reaching 90.6 million tons.
Around 82.2 percent of the total volume of transported goods accounted for the private sector during this period.
Some 62.4 percent of all cargo were transported by vehicles, 28.4 percent - by pipelines, 6.7 percent - by railway, 2.4 percent - by ships, 0.1 percent – planes.
Some 1.06 billion people used passenger transport in January-July 2016, which is 1.9 percent more than in the same period of 2015. Most of the passengers were transported by vehicles (88 percent) and metro (11.8 percent).
Automobile transport takes the lion share in the transport field of the country. Some 77.2 million tons of cargo were transported by vehicles, which is 2.8 percent more than in the same period of 2015.
The volume of passenger transportation reached 933.9 million people (a 2.5 percent growth compared to Jan.-July 2015). Some 96.1 percent of the passengers were transported by buses and 3.9 percent - by cars.
Freight turnover by vehicles increased by 2.8 percent during the reporting period, while passenger turnover - by 2.5 percent.
Some 8.3 million tons of cargo were transported by railway in January-July or by 18.6 percent less than in January-July 2015.
On average, the number of loaded carriages made up 430 and unloaded - 395. Average daily load of carriages in the northern direction is 17,500 tons and in western direction 4,700 tons and southern direction – 1,700 tons.
Around 3.02 million tons of cargo were transported by ships in January-July 2016 or by 27.1 percent less than in January-July 2015. Some 44.9 percent of the transported goods accounted for oil cargo. The volume of goods handled in Azerbaijani ports amounted to 4.4 million tons in January-July.
The volume of international transit cargo handled in the country’s ports reached 92.4 percent. As of August 1, 2016, around 39,500 tons of import cargo left in the ports for transportation.
Some 26.4 million tons of oil were transported via main oil pipelines in January-July. Some 78 percent or 20.6 million tons of oil accounted for BTC.
Some 2.8 million tons of transit oil were transported via the BTC in January-July.
Gas transportation via main gas pipelines made up 12 billion cubic meters in January-July 2016 or by 7.5 percent less than in January-July 2015. Some 34.5 percent of the transported gas accounted for the South Caucasus Pipeline. Some 4.2 billion cubic meters of gas were transported via this pipeline.
Some 1,059,400 passengers were transported by air transport in January-July which is 5.4 percent more than in January-July 2015. Some 0.2 percent of shipment by this kind of transport accounted for the private sector.
Some 125.3 million people were transported by metro decreasing by 2.6 percent compared to the same period of 2015.
Some 164.6 million passengers were transported through the Eurasian transport corridor TRACECA (Europe-Caucasus-Asia) in January-June 2016 or by 2.2 percent more than in the same period of 2015, the Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee said.
Some 23.88 million tons of cargo were transported through TRACECA during the reporting period or by 9 percent less than in the same period of 2015, the committee said.
Around 63.6 percent (15.18 million tons) of the total volume of transported cargo accounted for vehicles, 27.1 percent (6.47 million tons) – railway, 9.3 percent (2.32 million tons) – ships. Some 14.9 percent (3.57 million tons) of cargo accounted for transit.