Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey ink protocol on BTK development

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey have signed a trilateral protocol on the development of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway project, the Transport, Communications and High Technology Ministry reported on October 7.

The protocol was signed during the meeting organized within the framework of the 12th International Transport and Communications Council in Turkey. The meeting was aimed at discussing the further directions of cooperation on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

The parties assessed the effectiveness of the project, and stressed the importance of reducing time spent on transportation of transit goods by rail, and increasing the efficiency of the BTK project as a whole.

It should be noted that a delegation led by Transport, Communications and High Technologies Minister Rashad Nabiyev is taking part in the 12th International Transport and Communications Council.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is of exceptional importance for turning Azerbaijan into a regional transport corridor. The agreement on the construction of the railway, which was put into operation in 2017, was signed during the meeting in Tbilisi by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey in 2007.

The 828-km Baku Tbilisi Kars railway stretches from the Azerbaijani coast of the Caspian Sea to the Georgian capital, and from there to Turkey, connecting the country’s extensive railway system and thus gaining access to European borders.

As of today, the railway’s cargo turnover is 6 million tons while passenger turnover is 1 million people. In the future, it may be increased to 3 million passengers and 20 million tons of cargo.