Countries need strong infrastructure and transport capacity to transform their geographical location into a genuine competitive advantage, Vugar Mammadov, Vice President of Silk Way West Airlines for the CIS, Türkiye, and Israel, said, as quoted by Report.
Speaking at the Germany-Azerbaijan Connectivity Conference in Baku, held under the theme Mobilizing Finance for Infrastructure, Transport, Logistics, Green Energy and Digitalization Along the Middle Corridor, Mammadov noted that the Middle Corridor is entering a critical stage of development.
"For many years, we have spoken of the Middle Corridor primarily as an alternative transport route between Asia and Europe. Today, we need to view it more broadly. The goal should not simply be to create another route. The objective should be to build an integrated, reliable, and competitive supply chain ecosystem. A corridor is only as strong as the links connecting its individual components. Railways, seaports, and airlines cannot operate in isolation. Customs procedures and digital systems must work together," he said.
Mammadov stressed that Azerbaijan is well positioned to play a connecting role due to its geographical location between Central Asia, the Caspian Sea region, the South Caucasus, Türkiye, and Europe.
"Geography alone is not enough. To turn geographic location into a real competitive advantage, countries need infrastructure, capacity, and operators capable of connecting these different elements. This is precisely where Azerbaijan has made significant progress," he added.