BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 31. Interest in the TRACECA (Europe-Caucasus-Asia) transport corridor is growing every day due to the latest geopolitical events, Secretary General of the Permanent Secretariat of the TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission Aset Asavbayev told Trend.
"Not every type of cargo will be able to redirect to this corridor, as the cost of delivery will be different. Of course, when there is one mode of transport and there are few transit countries, the tariffs will be more acceptable,” Asavbayev said.
“Due to the fact that the TRACECA corridor implies different types of transport, the cost of cargo transportation is more expensive. The unrealized potential of our corridor also should be taken into account," he noted.
According to the CEO, TRACECA member countries have made big investments in their infrastructure.
"TRACECA also invested in the infrastructure of the participating countries. For example, nearly 13.7 million euros has been allocated for Azerbaijan within the framework of the TRACECA program,” Asavbayev further said. “These funds were allocated for upgrading the infrastructure of the Baku port, railways, purchasing rolling stock, and reconstruction of the bridge on the border with Georgia.”
Moreover, funds were provided for the ferry complexes of Kazakhstan, as well as allocated to Georgia and a number of other countries. Thus, the TRACECA route has been formed with the appropriate infrastructure, competencies, and operators who work here," he noted.
The CEO also noted that certain areas have limited capacity.
"For example, the currently available infrastructure in Azerbaijan allows us to double the existing volume of cargo. This requires coordination and integration between transport operators," added Asavbayev.