Recent political events in Kazakhstan will impact neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan, Rufat Bayramov, National Secretary of the Intergovernmental Commission on the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA) in Azerbaijan, told Report while commenting on the current impact of the crisis on the Azerbaijani economy.
According to him, cargo transportation is currently carried out by rail: "Cargo transportation by road and air transport has been suspended for the time being."
Rufat Bayramov said that it is too early to forecast: "As you know, the Secretary-General of TRACECA (Aset Asavbayev) is also from Kazakhstan. Although we have had informal talks with him, there is no official information yet.
The lack of a crisis in Kazakhstan is also vital for Azerbaijan. Kazakhstan, bordering China, is our main partner between Asia and Europe."
More than 200 million tons of cargo are transported annually between China and Europe. About 90% of this is done by sea, and 10% through land transport corridors. The TRACECA corridor is the shortest route from China to Europe.
Currently, six countries, including Azerbaijan (on the Ukraine-Uzbekistan-Turkey-Georgia-Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan route), intend to join the "Single Transit Agreement." This agreement allows the carriage of goods between countries through a digital document. Now, if cargo is transported from Turkey to Central Asia, the carrier must obtain a transit permit from each country. If this agreement is signed, the process will be more efficient. It will save both money and time.
At the next stage, other countries may join the agreement within the TRACECA.
Thirteen countries operate within TRACECA. These are the countries of Central Asia, the Caucasus and Europe.