How do events in Ukraine affect transportation to Azerbaijan?

Amid hostilities in Ukraine, the relevant question is to what extent they will affect international cargo transportation, including haulage to Azerbaijan.

In response to Report’s question about the impact of current events on cargo transportation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine, National Secretary for Azerbaijan of the Intergovernmental Commission on the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA) Rufat Bayramov said that transportation along the corridor has not been suspended.

“Everything is in order. Transportation is carried out, as before, in a regular mode,” Bayramov said.

He added that only land and sea transportation is meant, because there is currently no air transportation from Ukraine.

“Now it is difficult to say anything. Transportation is carried out to Georgia, Azerbaijan and the Black Sea basin. It is too early to talk about Ukraine. That’s because the situation there is difficult now. We are experiencing difficulties in establishing contacts with the Azerbaijani Embassy in Ukraine,” Bayramov added.

In 2017, the Ukrainian Parliament ratified an agreement on the development of the International Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia using rail and ferry transport in the Black and Caspian seas. Ukraine is also increasing the number of rail and ferry traffic within the New Silk Road corridor (Ukraine-Georgia-Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan). In 2019, Ukraine joined the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

Six countries, including Azerbaijan (Ukraine-Uzbekistan-Turkey-Georgia-Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan), intend to join the "Unified Transit Agreement". This agreement provides for the transportation of goods among countries through digital document management. Now, in order to transport cargo from Turkey to Central Asia, the carrier must obtain a transit permit from each country. If this agreement is signed, the process will become more efficient. This will save both money and time.

At the next stage, other countries within TRACECA may join the agreement.

Now 13 countries are working in the TRACECA program. These are the states of Central Asia, the Caucasus and Europe.