BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 20. Türkiye is set to increase the share of freight transportation by rail, said Burak Aykan, Director General for EU Affairs and Foreign Relations Head of Operating Structure, at a panel discussion on "Pathways to Sustainable Connectivity: Efforts of CICA & its Member States, and Regional Organizations in Asia for Secure, Effective and Climate-Resilient Transportation Corridors" in Baku, Trend reports.
He explained that Türkiye intends to allocate over half of the Ministry's budget to the development of its rail sector.
"We plan to allocate over half of the Ministry's budget to the development of the railway sector as part of our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our target is to increase the share of freight transported by rail to 22 percent by 2053. Electrifying railway lines will enable us to harness clean energy, significantly cut carbon emissions in transportation, and drive progress toward our sustainable development goals. Turkey has also demonstrated its capability to produce electric trains, reinforcing our commitment to green transportation and the use of homegrown technologies," he said.
Aykan also emphasized the importance of land transport corridors, particularly for goods produced far from coastal regions.
"Transporting goods from inland areas, such as from Xi'an in China or Central Asia, to seaports only increases costs and reduces efficiency. Combining land transport with sea connections significantly shortens maritime routes and expands trade corridors, not only to Europe but also to the Middle East and North Africa," he added.
To note, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will run until November 22, opened at the Baku Olympic Stadium on November 11. It is the largest event organized by Azerbaijan to date, and the first time in the region that it is being held in Azerbaijan.
Within COP29, the highest-level event - the summit of world leaders on climate action - was held on November 12–13.
The main expectation from COP29 is to agree on a fair and ambitious New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. The COP29 Presidency has launched 14 initiatives that include linkages between climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals, including green energy corridors, green energy storage, harmony for climate resilience, clean hydrogen, methane reduction in organic waste, action on green digital technologies, and other topics.
In addition to being a top priority that creates the conditions for action, creating climate finance will also help fulfill the 1.5°C pledge by bringing everyone together.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for “Conference of Parties” and is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
A total of 198 countries are parties to the Convention. Unless otherwise decided by the parties, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.
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