Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 10
By Maksim Tsurkov – Trend:
Negotiations, related to the creation of a new route of transporting the goods from southern China to Europe through Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, are currently underway, Kheyrulla Humbatov, head of department of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) for Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, said in the interview.
According to him, Azerbaijan Railways, jointly with other transportation structures, is the initiator and participant of several major international projects related to the increase of country’s transit potential.
“The Association of the Trans-Caspian International Transportation Route was established at the end of the last year. Consolidated tariffs and a “single window” system were introduced on the route since. Currently, preparation measures for alternative routes of the North-South corridor are initiated,” noted Humbatov.
He recalled that, for further development of the North-South corridor, railway administrations of Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran have organized a test mode transportation of goods from Iran’s Bandar Abbas to Moscow in 14 days.
Meanwhile, works, to attract the Indian cargo for a more intense and continuou transportation via the corridor, are underway, he said.
Moreover, by introducing a single tariff policy active measures are taken to organize safe and rapid freight traffic in the direction of Iran-Azerbaijan-Black Sea-Europe via the South-West corridor, which is a new branch of the North-South corridor, added Humbatov.
The International North-South Transportation Corridor is meant to connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia. It will serve as a link connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. The corridor is planned to transport 6 million tons of cargo per year at the initial stage and 15-20 million tons of cargo in the future.
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