Azerbaijan aims at fivefold increase in railway freight transportation Statement by Deputy Prime Minister

Azerbaijan is one of the most important transport and logistics centers in Eurasia, the country also plays an important role in such transport corridors as East-West and North-South, and therefore there is an increase in cargo transportation along these routes.

Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev made the statement at the meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the CIS countries on October 26 in Bishkek, according to AKIpress.

Further expansion of trade and economic ties is one of the priority areas for the CIS countries, he said.

"For example, last year alone, Azerbaijan's trade with the CIS countries increased by almost 30 per cent," he said.

The Deputy Prime Minister also spoke about the development of the Azerbaijani economy in recent years and large-scale works, such as the completion of the modernization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway section next year, in connection with which the volume of cargo traffic will increase from 1 million to 5 million tons.

"Active work is also underway to increase the throughput capacity of the Baku International Sea Trade Port of Alat from 15 million tons to 25 million tons. There is also a modern shipyard in Baku that can build any type of ship. The Alat port will open up wide opportunities for local and foreign investors, which will lead to the further development of transport and logistics relations between Azerbaijan and the CIS countries," Shahin Mustafayev concluded.