BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 19. Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Rovshan Rustamov received a delegation headed by President of China Railway Container Transport Corp. Ltd. (CRCT) Yang Bin, Trend reports.
According to the information, at the meeting, broad discussions were held on the expansion of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China in the field of railway transportation and logistics, including the increase of freight traffic along the Middle Corridor.
The sides exchanged views on CRTC joining the joint venture established by the railway departments of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia, “Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd.”, announcing that this significant event will take place within the framework of the VIII International Silk Road Exhibition to be held in Xi'an on September 19-20.
Furthermore, it was noted at the meeting that, as a result of the fundamental work carried out in the last period on the development of the Middle Corridor, the movement of container block trains from China has been restored, and 212 container block trains have been sent from Chinese ports to Azerbaijan since the beginning of 2024. As a successful result of the measures taken, it was emphasized that the delivery time of containers to Baku port is 8-10 days and to Black Sea ports is 10-12 days.
Expressing satisfaction with these indicators, the Chinese side noted that CRTC's joining the joint venture “Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd.” will contribute to increasing the volume of cargo transported along the Middle Corridor.
Moreover, it was noted at the meeting that on September 19-20 in Baku, on the initiative of Azerbaijani Railways with the participation of railroad operators from China, Central Asia, and Europe, negotiations will be held on the establishment of a new International Association "Eurasian Transport Route". It was emphasized that the main topic of discussions will be the development of the southern wing of the Middle Corridor through cooperation within the framework of this association and ensuring efficient, high-speed, safe, and structured freight transportation in the direction of China-Middle Asia-Europe and vice versa.