International transport companies show growing interest in Azerbaijan, official says

International transport companies are interested in developing their activities in Azerbaijan.

Kamran Habibov, chairman of the Association of Transport Forwarding Companies of Azerbaijan and director of "Hellmann Worldwide Logistics" LLC, spoke at the Azerbaijan Trade Forum on "Opportunities, Current Situation, and Challenges for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMEs)," Azernews reports.

K. Habibov emphasized the importance of further developing the country's logistics sector.

"We observe that transit volumes passing through Azerbaijan are constantly increasing. However, in my opinion, now is the time to take the next step. We need to turn Azerbaijan into a regional trade center. This requires creating conditions to attract global manufacturers who want to establish regional warehouses and distribution centers here. From here, goods can be distributed not only to the countries of the South Caucasus but also to the states of Central Asia. In general, international transport companies are interested in operating in Azerbaijan," he noted.

According to him, such measures will play a stimulating role in the development of all economic sectors, including trade and logistics.

K. Habibov also emphasized the need to prepare special investment programs that will help attract investments in this area. He cited the production support programs implemented by the Ministry of Economy as an example.

"It is also important to create investment incentives for logistics market participants, including owners of vehicles and warehouse complexes. This is especially crucial for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), which face difficulties in implementing digital solutions due to high costs. We have a wide range of programs to support and stimulate them, and we need to consider preparing these," added the Chairman of the Association.