BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 21. Azerbaijan is the second country after China to have invested the most in the Belt and Road project both on its own territory and abroad, said President Ilham Aliyev in an exclusive interview with China's Xinhua, Trend reports.
"As you may know, Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to support the Belt and Road initiative put forward by the President of the People’s Republic of China. We are implementing serious projects in this direction. It is safe to say that Azerbaijan is the second country after China to have invested the most in this project both on its own territory and abroad. Speaking at the second Belt and Road Forum held in China in April 2019, I noted that this project not only provides transport links, but also strengthens the relations between different countries, serves to bolster dialogue and cooperation, and creates new opportunities for international trade.
We are expanding our cooperation with China within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative. Significant progress has already been made in this direction. Leveraging its advantageous geographical location, Azerbaijan continues to extensively develop international transport corridors, create modern infrastructure and invest additional funds in increasing their capacity in response to the sharp increase in cargo traffic through our territory.
Over the past 20 years, 21,000 kilometers of highways have been built and renovated, 335 bridges and overpasses, 45 tunnels, 163 overland and underground crossings have been built in Azerbaijan. Considerable progress has also been made in improving railway infrastructure including the construction of over 1,500 kilometers of new railways and the renovation of 1,800 kilometers of existing tracks.
Such important transport projects as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the International North-South Transport Corridor and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor), as well as the Baku International Trade Seaport, one of the major ports on the Caspian Sea, are opening up new horizons for the implementation of economic and transport opportunities within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative," said President Ilham Aliyev.