ITF chief praises Azerbaijan’s chairmanship

Secretary-General of the International Transport Forum (ITF), Young Tae Kim, has praised Azerbaijan’s leadership of the organisation, saying its chairmanship has added significant value to global transport discussions.

Speaking at a press conference during the ITF Annual Summit in Leipzig, Germany, Kim noted that Azerbaijan is the first country from the Central Asian region to chair the forum, describing the experience as both “significant” and timely, Caliber.Az reports per local media. 

He said the inclusion of perspectives from developing countries had broadened the scope of discussions, which had traditionally been shaped by Western Europe and other developed economies.

“This has further enriched our discussions on these very issues,” he said, adding that participation from countries in Latin America and Asia had also strengthened the dialogue.

Kim emphasised that in the context of current global geopolitical challenges, international cooperation in transport has become increasingly important, particularly efforts to improve connectivity between Europe and Asia.

“From this perspective, Azerbaijan’s chairmanship was a very important and timely step,” he said, highlighting the growing priority of strengthening Eurasian transport links.

He also pointed to the heavy global reliance on maritime transport, describing it as one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonise. He suggested that a more balanced development of transport modes across the Eurasian region could help address these challenges.

Overall, Kim said he was satisfied with the progress made during Azerbaijan’s leadership and expressed appreciation for the support of the Azerbaijani government and its diplomatic engagement within the forum.

By Sabina Mammadli