BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 6. Azerbaijan is
increasing the efficiency of cross-border operations and logistics
processes to enable larger volumes of cargo to be transported along
the Middle Corridor, Emil Mammadov, adviser to the chairman of
Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY), said at the German-Azerbaijani
Strategic Partnership and Connectivity Conference in Baku on
Tuesday, Trend’s
correspondent reports from the event.
According to him, infrastructure development has been one of
Azerbaijan Railways’ key priorities in recent years as part of the
various stages of the Middle Corridor’s development.
“Over the past few years, railway electrification, the
construction of new stations and other infrastructure projects have
been carried out. At the same time, cross-border operations are
another important area on which we have been working intensively to
prepare for larger cargo volumes,” he said.
The ADY chairman’s adviser noted that one of the key goals in
this area is to develop procedures and a unified documentation
system that will enable faster freight movement between the
countries along the Middle Corridor.
“We are working on developing procedures that enable faster
border crossings between countries and unified documentation. This
is important for speeding up movement along the Middle Corridor,”
he emphasized.
According to Mammadov, another important factor enabling the
handling of larger cargo volumes was the transfer of the Port of
Alat to railway management.
“Bringing the Port of Alat under railway management enables us
to improve operational efficiency and better coordinate processes
at the main gateway to the Caucasus region,” the adviser said.
He said recent statistics show an increase in cargo volumes
transported through the Port of Baku. The growth has been recorded
in both containerized and other types of cargo.
“We are seeing an increase in the number of containers
transported through the Port of Baku. At the same time, volumes of
both bulk and containerized cargo are increasing. This is not only
related to infrastructure development but also to improved
operational efficiency,” he said.
The ADY chairman’s adviser noted that one of the main challenges
facing the Middle Corridor is strengthening coordination and
cooperation among all participants along the route.
“Alongside infrastructure development, we are also working on
coordination and cooperation along the Middle Corridor. This
includes cooperation with various stakeholders within the country
as well as with other participants along the Middle Corridor,”
Mammadov added.
