BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 28. Azerbaijan and China actively develop cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the Trans-Caspian route, the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador Lu Mei said at a briefing, Trend reports.
She pointed out that the goals of the Belt and Road Initiative put forward by President of China Xi Jinping are aimed at preserving the spirit of the Great Silk Road, creating an open platform for cooperation, and providing new impetus to the development of various countries.
According to her, China attaches great importance to the development of transport corridors, including the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which is fully consistent with Azerbaijan's strategy to unleash its own transit potential.
"China is ready to cooperate with Azerbaijan and other countries along the route to continuously improve the level of customs facilitation and cargo transportation efficiency, as well as to jointly build a safe and stable transport line between China and Europe via the Caspian Sea," Mei emphasized.
She added that in 2024, the volume of transportation on this route increased significantly: 369 trains were sent, which is more than 36 times more than the previous year.
To note, the Middle Corridor connects the container rail freight networks of China and the European Union countries through the countries of Central Asia, the Caucasus, Türkiye, and Eastern Europe.
The multilateral multimodal transport infrastructure connects the ferry terminals of the Caspian and Black Seas with the railway systems of China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and Poland.
The Middle Corridor contributes to the increase in cargo flow from China to Türkiye, as well as to European countries and in the opposite direction.
The block train running along this corridor delivers goods from China to Europe in an average of 20-25 days, and this is one of the main advantages of this transport corridor.
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