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Reasons why free movement of goods between Azerbaijan and Türkiye is not yet possible revealed

Turkish Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Azerbaijan Birol Akgün

31 July 2025 12:51 (UTC +04:00)

The reasons why the free movement of goods between Azerbaijan and Türkiye has not been fully established have been explained, APA reports.

Türkiye's Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Birol Akgün, stated in an interview with APA that the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Turkey amounts to 6.5–7 billion dollars.

The ambassador noted that this is good, but not enough: "Our presidents have agreed to increase this figure to 15 billion USD. However, this requires additional steps and efforts to overcome certain challenges. The opening of the Middle Corridor could accelerate this process by reducing transportation costs, which is extremely important for us in the medium term. From a broader perspective, Azerbaijan has customs agreements with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), including Russia, while Türkiye has customs cooperation agreements with the European Union. This creates difficulties in establishing direct mechanisms for the free movement of goods between Türkiye and Azerbaijan. That’s why we are working to increase trade turnover and product circulation through a preferential trade agreement. Work is ongoing to expand the list of goods under this agreement — the number of items has already increased from 30 to 81, but there is a clear need to further broaden the list of goods covered by the preferential trade regime. This may require additional steps between our governments and could involve other diplomatic aspects as well. Still, I have no doubt that this will eventually happen. Even without a full-fledged free trade agreement, it is necessary to expand the number of goods covered by the preferential trade regime. If the Zangezur Corridor opens, we could manufacture goods produced in Türkiye also in Azerbaijan and jointly export them to Central Asia. I believe we are facing vast opportunities and enormous potential. Of course, such radical and ambitious steps cannot be taken without challenges. However, our future is bright, and we can achieve this by working together. We must continue to support each other and protect this brotherhood and friendship in every sphere."