Logistics-Transport5- Page

Azerbaijan’s strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia has long drawn the attention of the EU, China, and Türkiye, all of which support Baku’s efforts to develop the Middle Corridor as a major transport and logistics hub.

Silk Way Group has announced plans to develop a new cargo airport in the Alat Free Economic Zone in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeyhun Bayramov, during a working visit to Turkey, participated in and spoke at the regional consultative meeting of the "3+3" format.

Recently, Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu stated in an interview with Kanal7 that the transport corridor connecting Azerbaijan's eastern regions with Nakhchivan could pass through both Iran and Armenia.

Rovshan Rustamov, head of Azerbaijan Railways, says he and his Iranian opposite number, Ali Zaqeri Sardrudi, have agreed on the construction of a railway from Azerbaijan proper to the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan via Iranian territory.

In September, it was announced that China has joined Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia as a partner in the Middle Corridor Initiative, with the China Railway Container Transport Corporation (CRTC) participating in the project.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $47 million loan to support Azerbaijan in digitalising its railway system, according to its statement published on Tuesday.

The Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute has always been about more than Karabakh. It has also been about transit routes.

On September 10, the USA and the UK imposed sanctions on companies involved in cargo transportation between Russia and Iran via the Caspian Sea.

After Moscow made it clear that it supports Baku's Zangezur Corridor project, Tehran reacted sharply, reviving its threatening rhetoric about the inadmissibility of redrawing borders in the region.

On August 30, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Finance Samir Sharifov participated in a panel discussion titled “Middle Corridor: Reshaping the Euro-Asia Connectivity,” as part of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) annual meetings in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The Northern Sea Route, while shorter than the route through the Suez Canal, requires icebreaker support, which increases transportation costs.

The Kazakh government is working to implement the Roadmap to eliminate bottlenecks and develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) until 2027 between Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Türkiye and between Kazakhstan and Georgia.

The statement made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on August 19 in Baku not only sparked another round of mutual accusations between Yerevan and Moscow but also revealed some details of the negotiations concerning the so-called "Zangezur Corridor."

Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan’s $50 million fiber-optic cable sets the stage for a digital Silk Road transformation.

President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree “On the approval of the ‘Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the People’s Republic

Japan aims to strengthen its relations with Central Asia. However, the grand strategy is not limited to a single region, considering the geographical distance between Japan and Central Asia.

The Middle Corridor is growing and developing. In the first half year of 2024, 9,3 million tonnes of freight travelled along it, an increase of 8 per cent. As a central part of the corridor, Azerbaijan plays an important role in this growth.

The Red Sea Crisis has been one of the most impactful factors for the logistics and transport sectors worldwide in 2024. The situation led to a series of problems such as shortages of space, shortages of containers, rising freight rates and port congestion.

China has started using Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor) for transportation of trucks.

Under the auspices of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), an Alliance of Logistics Centers and Freight Carriers has been established, as reported by the Uzbekistan media.

Silk Way West Airlines, the leading cargo airline in the Caspian and Central Asian region, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with China Henan Aviation Group during Air Cargo China 2024 in Shanghai.

CDB Aviation, has confirmed the execution of lease agreements for two Airbus A320neo aircraft with a new customer and one of the largest carriers in the Commonwealth of Independent States (the “CIS”) countries, Azerbaijan's national air carrier, Azerbaijan Airlines.