Meeting held between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to develop cooperation in transport

A meeting was held in Baku between Minister of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan Rashad Nabiyev and a delegation headed by Chairman of the Board of Samruk-Kazyna JSC of the Republic of Kazakhstan Almasadam Satkaliyev, who is on a visit to our country.

During the meeting, discussions were held on optimization of transport tariffs along the corridor, synchronization of customs procedures to increase the volume of freight traffic along international transport corridors passing through the countries.

Minister Rashad Nabiyev noted that transport links between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are developing on the basis of positive trends.

Rashad Nabiyev expressed confidence that the discussions held at the meeting will be useful for further expanding these ties.

The Minister noted that corridor efficiency, regularity of transport, tariff optimisation and above all, simplification and harmonization of regulatory and customs procedures for transit cargo from countries along the corridor are important to attract transit cargo to the Middle Corridor in the face of the competition created by neighboring transit corridors.

It was noted that the developments in the region and the geopolitical situation have created a new reality. This reality dictates the need to consider a new framework for cooperation and the establishment of transit transport links.

It was emphasized at the meeting that the geographical features of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan – their location between the largest economic centers of Europe and Asia – create real conditions for the full use of the existing transport network between the countries. A further impetus for the development of the route was the completion of the construction of the Baku –Tbilisi –Kars railway line. This made it possible to reduce the delivery time of cargos from China to Turkey via Kazakhstan to 12 days.

It was noted at the event that general guidelines should be established for starting a joint company and conducting transport and logistics activities, simplifying customs operations as part of the project to create an integrated transport system.

The meeting continued with discussions on various aspects of expanding cooperation between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in the field of transport.