Europe-Asia railway cargo transportation options discussed in Constanta

/By Azernews/

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan, Romania, Georgia and Moldava discussed in the Romanian city of Constanta the possibility of organizing cargo transportation from Europe to Asia.

The meeting was held as part of the round table dedicated to the development of the Europe-Asia freight corridor.

Delegations headed by Javid Gurbanov, Azerbaijani Railways Chairman, Mamuka Bakhtadze, Georgian Railway CEO, Yuri Topale, the State Enterprise Railway of Moldova CEO and Laurentiu Georgescu, CEO, Romanian Railways freight operator CFR Marfa attended the event.

During the meeting the railway authorities of the four countries signed a memorandum on cooperation in the field of transit cargo.

Nadir Azmammadov, the spokesman for Azerbaijan Railways said the sides explored the possibilities of organizing cargo transportation from Europe to Asia through Romania's Constanta and Georgia's Poti ports through Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran and in the opposite direction.

"The route running through Azerbaijan is the most beneficial one for cargo transportation and Romania shows great interest in it," Azmammadov told Trend.

The Azerbaijani delegation also held a meeting with National Secretary of the PS IGC TRACECA in Romania Maria Magdalena Grigore to mull Azerbaijan's transit opportunities, the potential of the transportation corridors running through the country, as well as the cooperation with Romania in this sphere.

Earlier in January 14, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Ukraine signed a protocol on the establishment of competitive feed-in tariffs for cargo transportation through the Trans-Caspian international transport route.

Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which runs through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and then through Turkey and Ukraine to Europe, enjoys an opportunity to become attractive and profitable for consignors from European countries.

The route, which will transport approximately 300,000-400,000 containers by 2020, is expected to make Azerbaijan a major transport hub in the region.

The first test container train on the Shihezi (China) -Dostyk-Aktau-Alat route arrived in Baku International Sea Trade Port last August.