Trend News Agency
May 17, 2022

USAID delegation to visit Azerbaijan to help boost trade along Trans-Caspian route

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is conducting a study tour to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia, to find opportunities to increase trade along the Trans-Caspian route on May 16-24, 2022, Trend reports citing the US embassy in Kazakhstan.

This international transport corridor is an alternative means for transporting goods from Central Asia to Europe, having great potential for trade and business development. Recently Central Asian governments have placed great focus on increasing the transport of cargo via the Caspian Sea, as traders encounter growing problems in moving their goods through the current transit routes.

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A delegation of over 40 customs representatives and staff of transport policy government agencies of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as members of the Central Asia Transport and Logistics Partnership, are visiting the Caspian Sea ports at Alyat and Kuryk, and the Batumi Port on the Black Sea….

Also joining the tour will be representatives of national associations of road carriers, logistics companies and freight forwarders, seaports and shipping companies from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Central Asian nations, directly involved in international road transport. Participants from Bulgaria and Turkey are invited to familiarize themselves with the possibility of facilitating international road transport through their domestic territories.

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Trend News Agency
May 17, 2022

Azerbaijan is regarded as crucial hub in transport sector amid ongoing geopolitical developments – Franz Wessig

In the current geopolitical situation Azerbaijan is regarded as a crucial hub in the transport sector, especially, within to the new Silk Road, the Middle Corridor, Franz Wessig, Head of Group Foreign Economic Relations at the Federal Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs of Austria said in an exclusive interview with Trend.

“The purpose of my visit is to take part in the 10th session of the Austria-Azerbaijan joint Commission for Economic, Agricultural, Industrial, Technical and Technological Cooperation….We talked about very important fields of cooperation such as transport. We discussed the ways of increasing transport through the Middle Corridor, to bring goods from China, Central Asia to Europe. I think it is a very promising field of cooperation. In the current geopolitical situation Azerbaijan is regarded as an important hub in the transport sector, especially, within to the new Silk Road, the Middle Corridor,” he said.

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“There should be more Austrian companies in Azerbaijan and vice-versa. We’re looking forward also for Azerbaijani investments in Austria. For instance, Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR has invested in Austria….”