BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 30. The pivotal point in the development of the Middle Corridor lies in streamlining logistics processes, ensuring seamless cargo transit between various countries, Rolande Pryce, WB Regional Director for South Caucasus, told Trend.
“A critical piece as well is simplifying procedures and processes, particularly at the border. You don't want to halt progress by having people investigate trucks or spend time on inspections, etc. Once cleared and approved at one point on the corridor, there should be a mechanism for it to move relatively quickly throughout. The bank is capable of supporting all processes and various solutions based on the specific requests of each country,” she said.
According to Pryce, because the Middle Corridor actually envisions a number of different types of transport, such as sea, rail, and road, the participants have to try to manage the movement from one form of transport to another.
“We hope to work towards making it seamless. Then there is the question of prioritization of investments. If all these countries come together and see this as a joint regional project with shared benefits, we should sit together and discuss which railway line to focus on and where we are going to improve the roads,” she said.
For example, in Georgia, the WB has been investing for years in their east-west highway, which will be part of the Middle Corridor, Pryce noted.
"In Azerbaijan, we have been having conversations about the digitalization of railways, for example. However, we haven't necessarily all sat together as a group of countries and as a development partner institution with other development partner institutions because these investments are going to be quite significant,” she added.
The WB expects to be at the table with other development partners, as well as the countries, to determine the priority investments and means of cooperation to make those initiatives happen.
“We hope that the report we've prepared will serve as the launchpad for that, and the World Bank is very much committed to helping countries deliver on these objectives,” the regional director concluded.