BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. Given the present geopolitical climate, Lithuania has made a conscious effort to intensify further the diversification of freight transportation options, reducing reliance on any one particular route or mode of transport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania told Trend.
"One of the key priorities is to integrate fully into the transport system of Western Europe by implementing strategic projects such as Rail Baltica, which will integrate the Baltic States into the single European railway area," said the ministry.
As for the current transportation projects of Lithuania, the ministry noted that Lithuania and Ukraine are working together on the initiative to establish an intermodal corridor between the Baltic States and Ukraine. According to the ministry, the countries seek to create new logistics routes for railways and other modes of transport that connect their seaports to increase freight volumes.
Furthermore, the ministry also said that Lithuania aims to implement its projects within the framework of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) as it is an essential tool for fostering the development of the north-south infrastructure corridor.
"Lithuania, while enhancing cooperation with the West and along the North-South axis of the 3SI, acknowledges the importance of partnerships with Central Asian countries, with Kazakhstan being its foremost economic partner in the region," the ministry said.
In this regard, Lithuanian Foreign Ministry noted the growth in trade turnover with Kazakhstan.
"The volume of bilateral trade is steadily growing: in 2022, the turnover of goods between Lithuania and Kazakhstan amounted to approximately 1.4 billion euros. Both countries aspire to enhance the volume of bilateral trade, including through much closer cooperation in the fields of transport and logistics," the ministry added.
In addition, the Lithuanian ministry also made remarks about the importance of the Middle Corridor. As such, it was noted that Lithuania recognizes the significance of the Middle Corridor initiative as a natural extension of the 3SI, in improving connectivity between Europe and Asia, especially as it provides an alternative to the Northern Corridor.
"As part of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, the EU aims to support substantially investment projects along the Middle Corridor, seeking to solidify supply chains, ensure resilient connectivity, boost economic growth, and promote democratic values across the region," the ministry said.
Touching on the issue of cooperation with other Central Asian and South Caucasus states, the ministry said that with the aim of promoting regional integration and economic growth, Lithuania seeks to expand its transport cooperation with these countries.