Erman Ereke: Half of cargo transport between Central Asia and Turkiye can pass through Zangazur corridor

With the opening of the Zangazur corridor and the simplification of several procedures by Azerbaijan, more than half of the trade between Central Asia and Turkiye can pass through the corridor, Erman Ereke, head of the International Road Transport Union's permanent delegation in Turkiye and the Middle East, said at a meeting in Baku with a board of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation's Union of the Road Transport Association (BSEC-URTA), officials from the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, the State Customs Committee and the Caspian Shipping Company.

Report informs, citing the Azerbaijan International Road Carriers Association (ABADA), that, according to him, currently, there is an average annual turnover of 110-120 thousand trucks between Turkiye and Central Asian countries, and this indicator continues to grow.

Ereke said the opening of the Zangazur corridor would be beneficial for the whole region:

"As this route is an alternative and a new way, it can have a considerable impact on the volume of cargo transportation.

"The Zangazur corridor is a full crossing point of the East-West and North-South transport corridors. With the launch of this corridor, the volume of cargo carriers through Turkiye from the southern ports of Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean will increase."

During the meeting, the President of the BSEC-URTA Mehmet Uylukcu said that in the current geopolitical situation, Azerbaijan had become a strategic country in the process of developing new transport corridors.

The main purpose of the visit was to discuss Azerbaijan's existing transport and logistics capabilities and exchange views on the work that can be done to carry out cargo transportation through Azerbaijan.

According to Uylukcu, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) are ready to provide all necessary support to Azerbaijan:

"One of the main goals is the introduction of e-services in Azerbaijan, which was also discussed during our visit. We intend to expand our strategic cooperation with ABADA to organize secure cargo transportation."

During the visit, ABADA and BSEC-URTA agreed on the full implementation of the new security system. After the official meetings, the delegation visited the border checkpoints with Russia.