By Trend

Azerbaijan's transit opportunities can make its roads an alternative to the Suez Canal, Director General of the Transit and International Affairs Department of Iran Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization (RMTO) Javad Hedayati told Trend.

According to the official, Azerbaijan's roads and road infrastructure are at an advanced level. Azerbaijan has invested in this direction and done great work. The Azerbaijani state has taken steps in this direction with a very clear and transparent strategy.

“The incident involving a ship in the Suez Canal last year and the long-term closure of the canal was a threat to international trade. After this incident, many countries began to think about finding a solution to this restriction,” he added.

Hedayati noted that Azerbaijan can connect Iran to Russia, the Caucasus and the Black Sea in the west of the Caspian Sea.

“In addition, this route, where Iran and Azerbaijan are located, can connect East Asia, China, South Korea and India, which have several trillion dollars in trade with European countries,” he said.

The director-general emphasized that Iran and Azerbaijan should make the most of this golden opportunity. Because if transit roads are not used in the next 2-3 years, this opportunity may not be easily obtained again. In this regard, it is important to activate the route between the two countries. So that, this route can always maintain its activity.

"Currently, this route is just being focused on, it needs to be fully activated. Digitization of documents, permit forms, reduction of truck stops at the borders, coordination of controls are positive steps to be taken in this area. Because this route is a very ideal route,” Hedayati said.