BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 13. The world's transport corridors gaining popularity include the Middle Corridor through the Caspian Sea, Trend reports.
Thus, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told the media this week that currently a number of European countries have expressed a desire to join this route, and in this regard, the importance of the South Caucasus in the transport system of Eurasia has increased significantly.
He reminded us that last year, the railway administrations of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia established a joint venture, Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd., in order to establish logistics services based on the single window principle, unify the tariff policy, and ensure the stability of transportation along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor).
Research fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) Alberto Rizzi, in an article entitled “Risk and reward: why the EU should develop the Middle Corridor trade route” released on April 11, called on the EU to develop not only the infrastructure of the Middle Corridor, to which the EU has already given 10 billion euros, but also economic aspects in countries along the TITR in general (energy, industry, and other areas), including the countries of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Türkiye.
International expert on Asian economies Raza Sayed, in his article for the portal "The Times of Central Asia," called the Middle Corridor a flagship cooperation project for many states, especially in light of the current geopolitical situation in the world.
He said that TITR falls under the criteria of safe and fast delivery of goods and raw materials by all modes of transport (multimodality).
The positive dynamics of TITR development were recorded using statistical information. Thus, Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) reported that more than 6.4 thousand TEU (20-foot containers) were transported from Kazakhstan along the Trans-Caspian international transport route from January through March 2024, which is 85 percent more than in the first quarter of 2023.
The same week, Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) CJSC said that it transported 4.4 million tons of cargo, including 1.8 million tons of transit cargo, in the first quarter of 2024.
At the same time, the volume of transit cargo transportation increased by 11 percent compared to the first quarter of 2023.
Domestic cargo transportation by the Azerbaijan Railways from January through March 2024 accounted for 816,352 tons, which is six percent more than the same period in 2023.
Swiss international transport and logistics company AsstrA (Associated Traffic AG, active in the region of the South Caucasus, Caspian Sea, and Central Asia and interested in the development of the TITR) this week announced its joining the Association of Azerbaijan Customs Representation and Logistics Companies (AGTL), which will improve customs and logistics services.
At the same time, Russia has intensified efforts to develop various segments of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
The First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Industrial Policy, Innovation, and Trade of St. Petersburg, Alexander Sitov, who visited Baku, said that there are several segments of cooperation with Azerbaijan regarding the activation of the INSTC, since part of the route goes through Azerbaijan by land (roads and railway) and along the Caspian Sea.
Besides, this week the national air carrier of Azerbaijan, AZAL, announced the launch of regular flights to Bucharest on June 3 of this year.
The flights will be operated twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays.
The opening of AZAL flights to Bucharest will promote the development of ties as well as contribute to the expansion of tourism, cultural, and business opportunities between Azerbaijan and Romania.
AZAL also announced that from June 7, it will begin operating flights from Baku to Sofia and back twice a week.
The airline has already opened ticket sales for this route, and the flights will operate on Tuesdays and Fridays.