A project launched years ago by Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye has today become one of the most important milestones in the development of the Middle Corridor, said Hikmat Rakhmatov, First Deputy Chairman of Uzbekistan Railways, in a statement to journalists at an event held in Akhalkalaki on the Georgia-Türkiye border, APA reports.
“The event taking place in Akhalkalaki today is one of the most important developments in the advancement of the Middle Corridor. Container shipments, wagon cargo, liquid freight, and various types of goods will be transported from Asia to Europe in the fastest possible way through this route,” Hikmat Rakhmatov stressed.
He noted that Azerbaijan has played a special role in the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project.
“I believe Azerbaijan has one of the key roles here. In 2007, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye laid the foundation of this project, and today it is possible to handle up to 5 million tons of cargo annually at the Georgia-Türkiye border,” he said.
According to him, Uzbekistan currently exports large volumes of cargo via the Middle Corridor, and the new infrastructure will allow freight turnover to increase even further.
“We transport our export and import cargo via the Uzbekistan–Turkmenistan–Azerbaijan–Georgia–Türkiye–Europe route, as well as through Kazakhstan. This corridor is of strategic importance for Uzbek businesses and entrepreneurs,” Rakhmatov noted.
He added that the development of the Middle Corridor is regularly discussed by the leaders of the countries in the region.
“Our leaders regularly discuss the integration and digitalization of this route, as well as ways to reduce transportation costs,” he said.
Rakhmatov also highly praised the new infrastructure established in Akhalkalaki.
“I looked at the infrastructure created here today. It is clear that significant investment and human resources have been dedicated to this project,” he said.
The Uzbek official added that his country is currently working on the new China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway corridor, which is expected to be integrated into the Middle Corridor in the future.
Concluding his remarks, Hikmat Rakhmatov congratulated Azerbaijan on the launch of new logistics opportunities.
“Today, railways are the arteries of both economic and social development,” he said.
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on X
