BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 23. Azerbaijan and Georgia discussed the launch of a container block train between the Port of Baku in Alat, and the ports of Poti and Batumi and coordination of schedules and unification of tariffs, the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan told Trend.
According to the ministry, this issue was discussed during the meeting of Minister Rashad Nabiyev with Georgia's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Levan Davitashvili in the country.
Besides, a trilateral meeting of responsible ministers in the field of transport of Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Georgia was held.
"As part of this meeting, the parties discussed issues of wider use of the potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), boosting of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway's capacity and the formation of a unified tariff policy for transit cargo transportation,” the ministry said. “During the discussion, the importance of synchronizing joint operations to ensure a stable growth in transit cargo flows was also emphasized.”
The parties exchanged views on the growing interest in TITR and the North-West corridor.
"In the first half of 2022, cargo traffic increased by 15 percent compared to the same period last year. Demand in the North-West corridor has almost tripled compared to the corresponding period last year, and the volume of transit cargo along this corridor amounted to 1.3 million tons," the ministry noted.
The meeting participants stressed the intensified efforts of Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Georgia to increase the capacity of the BTK railway line, which is of great importance in TITR.
"Confidence was expressed that joint efforts and effective cooperation will enable to overcome the difficulties arising in the transport sector," added the ministry.