BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 27. The launch of the digital platform for the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor) is expected before April 2024, Alua Satybaldiyeva, Deputy CEO of Digital Trade Corridor (DTC, a member of the Singaporean PSA Group), Business Development Director for Central Asia and the Caucasus at PSA International, said in response to Trend's question.
She spoke during an event dedicated to the presentation of the research of the World Bank on TITR, held in Tbilisi, Georgia.
"So to answer when tomorrow is, our CEO will report to the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. He will visit Kazakhstan Railways and open a digital office. So he will share the results, and after that, we can say. And I hope our CEO can confirm that by April, we are going to launch the platform. So that's the plan, but we will continue to take further steps because it's a lot of work. And the next step is how we are going to apply digital signatures and how we are going to apply standards. So all of these are the next steps, but we cannot wait. That's why I said we are doing whatever we can with whatever we have. So that is the strategy," she said.
According to her, DTC has completed 100 percent integration of digital document flow with Kazakhstan Railways and with customs.
"Now the process is moving to further steps. In Azerbaijan, as I mentioned, with Azerbaijan Railways (ADY), we did integration on track and trace, but we need to do it now. We need to enhance it, and we need to finalize integration. In Georgia, our entire team is present, and we have established clear objectives, finalizing the integration scope. Consequently, we now understand the specific technical features we will be sharing. So this work has been done for quite a while. And the next step is Türkiye. And now the team is also integrating with China," Satybaldiyeva noted.
The Middle Corridor is a transportation and trade route that connects Asia and Europe, passing through several countries in the region. It is an alternative route to the traditional Northern Corridor and Southern Corridor.
The route starts in China and crosses Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then passes through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye before reaching Europe.
The Middle Corridor offers a land route that connects the eastern parts of Asia, including China, with Europe, bypassing the longer maritime routes.