BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 25. The Azerbaijan Railways CJSC management is planning a visit to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan this month as part of their efforts to boost participation in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor) by including these nations, Trend reports.
Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Rovshan Rustamov recently held negotiations with the head of the Agency of Railways and the head of the Agency of Sea Routes of Turkmenistan.
The Azerbaijani Railways noted that Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan should be more involved in TITR to increase its efficiency.
"The Middle Corridor section, including Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, is underutilized. However, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railroad line will appear, and cargo can go to Turkmenistan, and from there by sea to Europe. China is interested in this route. We aim to focus on the Central Asian market as a segment of TITR," Rustamov said.
According to him, the section of the Middle Corridor running from China through Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Türkiye is working intensively, but other Asian countries should also be involved in TİTR.
To note, the TITR has been developing for 10 years, but for the last two years, it has been under intense scrutiny owing to the new geopolitical realities.
About 2.7 million tons of cargo passed through TITR in 2023, and it's predicted that a whopping 4.2 million tons will make their way in 2024, with a staggering 10 million tons annually by 2027.
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