The volume of transit cargo in Azerbaijan will reach 16 million tons this year, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during his speech at an event on the theme “Rebuilding Trust in a Fragmented World: The South Caucasus as a Pillar of Global Connectivity and Investment Stability,” held as part of the 2nd Azerbaijan International Investment Forum in Baku, APA reports.
The President said the target is to increase the volume of transit cargo to 25 million tons, or perhaps even higher, by 2030.
“We have achieved rapid growth in transit cargo transportation. This is exactly what we were striving for. This year, the volume of transit cargo will reach 16 million tons. However, our goal is to increase this figure to 25 million tons, or perhaps even higher, by 2030,” the head of state emphasized.
Ilham Aliyev noted that physical infrastructure has been built for this purpose, with investments made primarily in railways, seaports, air cargo transportation and highways.
“Sixty percent of our railways have been electrified, and this process is continuing. We have railway connections with all our neighbors, as well as within the country. This was an important part of the work. To become a developed country, we must, of course, have good relations with our neighbors and our neighbors’ neighbors,” the President said.
The head of state noted that otherwise, as a landlocked country, no matter how much effort is made, success cannot be achieved. According to him, work has also been carried out in this direction, and today relations with all neighboring countries are very clear and, most importantly, predictable.
The President noted that an appropriate environment and incentives had to be created for cargo shippers to choose the route through Azerbaijan.
“We did this even before the current geopolitical changes. Because we are now going through a period when it is difficult even to imagine that additional supply chains could also be disrupted,” President Ilham Aliyev said, APA reports.
According to the head of state, the goal was to create the appropriate physical and administrative environment for cargo shippers to choose multimodal transportation when passing through the territory of Azerbaijan. The President noted that ferry transportation should also be used for cargo transiting through Azerbaijan.
“Today, we see growing demand for cargo transportation through Azerbaijan both along the East-West and North-South routes. We are located at the intersection of these two important routes. By the way, Azerbaijan is one of the very few countries that actively participates in both transport projects,” President Ilham Aliyev emphasized.
The President said Azerbaijan actively cooperates with neighboring countries along both the East-West and North-South routes.
“You mentioned Central Asia. Azerbaijan has been a member of the Central Asian Consultative Council since November last year. This is, in fact, an unprecedented development. Geographically, we are located in the South Caucasus, but politically, economically and in terms of transportation, we are already part of the broader Central Asian region,” the head of state said.
Ilham Aliyev added that transport management and digitalization, customs administration, as well as clear and understandable rules for investors in Azerbaijan, strengthen the country’s potential.
“Even if the geopolitical situation in our region changes and returns to what it was five years ago, we must still remain attractive to cargo shippers. This is very important and is one of the goals we have set,” the President emphasized.
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