BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 24. The opening of the Zangezur corridor will help attract most of the cargo transported from China to Europe to the Middle Corridor, which will lead to an increase in the volume of cargo passing through Azerbaijan, said the Head of the Strategic Planning and Development Department of Baku International Sea Trade Port (BISTP) CJSC Khudayar Hasanli, Trend reports.
He noted that the opening of the Zangezur corridor will reduce time and costs in terms of both global and regional logistics.
"The opening of the Zangezur corridor will reduce the distance on the East-West route. One of the most important points will be access, along with the Black Sea, to the Mediterranean Sea.
As competitiveness grows, prices will also be adjusted, which will lead to an increase in the volume of cargo attracted to Azerbaijan. All countries in the region will benefit from attracting these cargoes. For example, if 500 thousand TEU containers are sent from China to Europe, some of them will be delivered via Georgia, and some via the Zangezur corridor, which will lead to a reduction in both time and costs," he said.
The head of the department recalled that trade between Türkiye and Central Asia, including Afghanistan, is mainly carried out by heavy-duty vehicles, noting that their number is 120-130 thousand units. He added that 25-30% of them pass through Azerbaijan.
"If the number of ships is increased in the future, this percentage may increase. But even if the number of ships is increased, cargo from Türkiye will face delays at the border when delivered to Georgia, and from there to Azerbaijan. Because the number of cargoes increases, which in turn leads to delays. When the Zangezur corridor opens and is formed as a corridor, cargoes exported from Türkiye can be delivered to Central Asia via Azerbaijan without delays.
Currently, cargoes transported by sea from China arrive in Istanbul from southern Africa, since the Suez Canal is closed, from there they are sent by small ships to the ports of the Black Sea, including Poti, Batumi. Then these cargoes are sent by land both to Azerbaijan and to a number of Central Asian states. Obviously, the wider the trajectory, the more time is spent on transporting cargoes. But if the Zangezur corridor opens, at least 2-3 weeks will be saved in time in this direction, and costs will also decrease," he said.