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Head of the Board of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, Rovshan Rustamov, discussed increasing cargo transportation along the Middle Corridor during negotiations with Deputy Director General of China Railways State Corporation, Sun Suyude, Trend reports via Azerbaijani Railways.
The discussions focused on enhancing the competitiveness of the Middle Corridor, expanding container transportation, allocating subsidies for transit freight transportation by rail through Azerbaijan, and maximizing the use of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars route1.
The parties also exchanged views on implementing electronic declaration for train cargoes and accelerating the approval process for documents during customs control, which will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of cargo delivery along the Middle Corridor.
The importance of signing the Joint Declaration on July 3 in Astana, within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization events, was highlighted. This declaration aims to ensure the smooth operation of international transport corridors and create favorable conditions for transit traffic.
Additionally, it was emphasized that the Chinese side expressed interest in joining the Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd joint venture, established by Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia to develop the railway segment of the Middle Corridor.
Notably, the Middle Corridor, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, has seen increasing freight traffic over the past two years. In 2023, it carried 2.7 million tons of cargo (an 86 percent increase from 2022), and in 2024, the volume is expected to exceed 4.2 million tons.
International Rail Freight and Multimodal Transport Summit 2024