Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.31
By Leman Zeynalova. Jani Babayeva – Trend:
The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway is a very important interconnection providing enhanced transport links between the EU, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and also reaching to Central Asia and further to China, Kestutis Jankauskas, head of the EU delegation to Azerbaijan, told reporters Oct.31.
“The EU has consistently supported the development of these interconnections, especially with our neighboring countries, with our partnership countries. It has been supported in the context of the Eastern Partnership and our Central Asia strategy, coupled with investments, with improved infrastructure with further connectivity. This provides enhanced possibilities for faster trade, more passengers, more cargoes traveling between huge markets in EU, South Caucasus and Asia. Railways connect people, give us opportunities for better trade and enhanced connectivity,” he added.
The official opening ceremony of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway was held in Baku Oct.30. The BTK railway was constructed on the basis a Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish intergovernmental agreement. The railway’s peak capacity will be 17 million tons of cargo per year. At an initial stage, this figure will be one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo.
Commissioning of BTK is a historical event not only for Azerbaijan and countries in the region, but also globally.
BTK is a clear evidence of the fact that Azerbaijan has turned into a transit and logistics center of international level.
This project increases the opportunities for cargo and passenger transportation from East to West and allows to significantly reduce the duration and cost of transportation. The duration of transport from Baku to Kars will take 16-17 hours.