By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan and Turkiye have discussed joint steps to attract additional cargo flows to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line and the Middle Corridor, Azernews reports.

The discussion took place during the first meeting of the Azerbaijani-Turkish Working Group on Transport and Communication.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed the joint measures to improve the efficiency of Ro-Ro [ed. roll-on/roll-off ships] transport on the Caspian Sea, to implement more flexible regulations for transit cargo transportation and to facilitate transportation processes.

They highlighted the importance of the first tripartite meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs and transport of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Kazakhstan in Baku on May 27 and the signing of the Baku Declaration.

Moreover, the sides underlined that the Zangazur corridor will contribute to peace, stability, and cooperation in the region. In this regard, they emphasized the importance of the construction of the Kars-Nakhchivan railway line, which will be the continuation of the corridor.

During the event, there was an extensive exchange of views on the development of fiber-optic infrastructure between the two countries, cooperation in the fields of new-generation 5G mobile communication technologies, cybersecurity, and smart transport systems. An agreement was reached to exchange experience and organize joint training in these areas.

At the end of the meeting, the minutes of the first meeting of the Azerbaijani-Turkish working group on transport and communications were signed.

The meeting, co-chaired by Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan Rahman Hummatov and Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkiye Omar Fatih Sayan, was attended by authorized persons from the fields of civil aviation, road and maritime transport, railways, and communications.

Azerbaijan and Turkiye collaborate in a variety of economic sectors and have completed major energy and infrastructure projects, such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, and TANAP.

The two countries set up a goal to bring the mutual trade turnover to $15 billion in 2023. As of 2021, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $4.6 billion. So far, Turkiye is Azerbaijan’s second-largest investor followed by the UK.