BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 18. Azerbaijan's ABADA (International Road Carriers Association) is implementing new digitalization projects for East-West, North-South, and Middle Corridors, ABADA Secretary General Kanan Gurbanov told Trend this week.
"In order to facilitate international car transit, ABADA will continue its initiatives in this area in 2024. To raise our national carriers' market share in the international transportation services industry, improve their competitiveness against foreign carriers, and remove artificial barriers in the transportation process, we will focus our efforts on new initiatives and proposals," he said.
"The implementation of the electronic consignment note (e-SMR) will contribute to the expanded use of the electronic customs transit system (e-TIR) application. We'll further enhance cooperation with the State Customs Committee. Measures will be taken within our authority to implement projects for the development of transportation and logistics in the Caspian region," the secretary general added.
He also mentioned that ABADA is implementing measures to ensure the continuity of cargo flows along the Middle Corridor.
"ABADA is constantly working to ensure uninterrupted cargo flow on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. As you know, this route is also called the Middle Corridor. It is a multimodal transport corridor connecting China and the EU through Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Türkiye and is an alternative to the Northern Route (China-Kazakhstan-Russia-Belarus-Europe),” said Gurbanov.
“The corridor starts from the border of China and Kazakhstan, passes through Azerbaijan and Georgia, through the Caspian Sea, through Türkiye to Europe, through the Black Sea to Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Romania. Currently, due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the difficulties that have arisen on the Northern Route as a result of the sanctions imposed, the importance of the Middle Corridor has increased significantly. Functioning in partnership with the public and private enterprises of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye, Romania, China, and Poland, the Middle Corridor provides convenient and safe transportation of goods," he said.
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"ADY Container" begins cooperation with Maersk and COSCO. According to information, within the framework of these projects is expected to carry out cargo transportation in containers to various destinations by sea lines and by rail.
Joint efforts of companies Maersk and "ADY Container" will realize the first delivery of cargoes in containers from Spain to the Kazakh port of Aktau. Containers with fish feed will be delivered by Maersk vessel to Georgian port of Poti. Here the containers will be loaded on platforms and delivered by rail to the port of Baku by "ADY Container". Then they will be delivered by ship from the port of Baku to the port of Aktau.
Within the framework of cooperation with COSCO, a container train from Kazakhstan by rail will enter Azerbaijan from Yalama station. From there, the containers will be delivered to the Georgian port of Poti. Then containers loaded with products of metallurgical industry are planned to be delivered by ships to Italy. "ADY Container" is an operator of cargo transportation on the territory of Azerbaijan and Georgia.
"Cooperation with Maersk and COSCO will contribute to increasing the volume of transit cargoes transported through the territory of Azerbaijan, as well as attracting additional cargoes to the routes passing through the territory of Azerbaijan," ADY Container said.
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This week, Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov said during the II Baku Forum on Sustainable Development that the expansion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway line in Georgia will be completed by the end of 2023.
Also, President and CEO of the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) Ayman El Tarabishy emphasized during the World Forum on Small and Medium Enterprises held in Baku that Azerbaijan is an important part of the Silk Road.
Hervé Guenassia, chief advisor for credit operations in EU neighboring countries at the European Investment Bank, said that the bank is discussing the development of the Middle Corridor with Azerbaijan.
"In addition to developing the renewable energy sector, we are also targeting the development of clean transportation sector in the country. We are having interesting discussions with Azerbaijan Railways on the development of environmentally friendly transportation and improvement of railway connections along the Middle Corridor," he noted.
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AZAL, Azerbaijan Tourism Board and China Tourism Group signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding this week. The memorandum aims to develop new tourism products in Azerbaijan, promote them, and organize various events both online and offline and other joint actions.
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TRACECA Secretary General Asset Assavbayev said in his speech at the international conference on "International Transport and Logistics Corridor: development impulses from Zangilan" held in Zangilan that TRACECA is ready to support the launch of container transportation between the seaports of Azerbaijan and Georgia.
In addition, Chairman of the Board of Alat Free Economic Zone (FEZ) Valeh Alasgarov said during the II Baku Forum on Sustainable Development that a cargo airport will be built in Alat FEZ.
"The airport will start operating no later than the first quarter of 2026. At the first stage, its capacity will be 500,000 tons per year, and with further gradual increase, it will reach 1.5 million tons per year," Alasgarov said.
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This week it became known that Azerbaijan is implementing a project on transition to low-waste electric transport within the framework of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).