Russia’s Dagestan to upgrade border checkpoints with Azerbaijan

Authorities in Russia's Republic of Dagestan are moving ahead with the modernisation of two border checkpoints on the Azerbaijani frontier as part of efforts to improve transport links along the North-South International Transport Corridor.

The Dagestan government said Prime Minister Magomed Ramazanov inspected the Yarag-Kazmalyar and Tagirkent-Kazmalyar road border checkpoints on the Russian-Azerbaijani border, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Both checkpoints are located in the Magaramkent district and form part of the North-South International Transport Corridor.

During his visit to the upgraded Yarag-Kazmalyar checkpoint, Ramazanov reviewed its technical capabilities and plans for further development of border infrastructure. Reconstruction of the facility began in 2020.

Last year, the checkpoint's capacity increased by 11% to 640 freight trucks per day.

Digital inspection systems are also being introduced and are expected to reduce the standard inspection time for cargo vehicles to 10 minutes by the end of the year.

Ramazanov also inspected reconstruction work at the Tagirkent-Kazmalyar checkpoint, where freight traffic was launched on April 29, 2022. The facility currently handles an average of about 230 freight trucks per day.

The reconstruction is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2028.

Once finished, the checkpoint's capacity is expected to increase from 200 to 2,360 vehicles per day, including 1,100 freight trucks, while the number of traffic lanes will expand from eight to 20.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov