Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30. Azerbaijan’s role
in the Eurasian space is strengthening, and its transit
opportunities are increasing every day, transport expert Rauf
Aghamirzayev told Trend.
According to him, the North-South Corridor, new roads in the
direction of Baku-Gusar, the Kalaleh-Aghband project, and the
formation of the
Kalaleh-Aghband-Jabrayil-Fuzuli-Aghdam-Yevlakh-Ganja-Tbilisi-Batumi
route will bring many benefits to the country.
Speaking about transport corridors and roads between Azerbaijan
and Iran, he noted that the road along the Caspian Sea in the
North-South corridor has already been built.
“The section of road R8 near the Taghiyev settlement is the
remaining part, which is also planned to be improved. However, the
road, with a total length of 500 km, has already been put into
operation. Border checkpoints have also been improved, and roads
have been constructed in this direction,” said Aghamirzayev.
The expert mentioned that the Araz Corridor project includes a
bridge built in the Aghband settlement of Azerbaijan’s Zangilan
district.
“Moreover, the roads that will function in this direction are
part of the Southwest, North-South, and East-West corridors. The
roads constructed through Aghband form two new routes in Karabakh
and Eastern Zangezur. Thus, one direction is the route
Kalaleh-Aghband-Jabrayil-Fuzuli-Aghdam-Yevlakh-Ganja-Tbilisi-Batumi,
and the other is the route from Aghband through
Khudafarin-Lachin-Kalbajar-Murovdagh Tunnel and through Ganja
towards Georgia. Moreover, we also have traditional roads through
Astara and Bilasuvar. In this way, Azerbaijan, offering different
options, has provided shorter paths,” he also said.
Aghamirzayev emphasized that, along with these roads, rail
transportation is also possible.
“Currently, active work is underway for the transportation of
five million tons of cargo via the North-South corridor by 2028,
including the modernization of the Alat-Osmanli-Astara railway.
Additionally, the roadbed is being completed on the Sumgayit-Yalama
railway. Work on the Goradiz-Aghband railway is also nearing
completion. It is expected that railway repairs in Nakhchivan will
begin this year. Construction work is planned for the section of
the railway from Iran to the Araz Corridor. New opportunities will
also arise with the construction and commissioning of the
Rasht-Astara railway,” he added.
Commenting on the issue, political analyst Rufat Huseynli said
that the visit of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Azerbaijan
can mark a new milestone in relations between the two
countries.
“Cooperation can be expanded between the two countries in the
fields of trade and transportation. An example of such cooperation
is the North-South transport corridor. Issues such as expanding
trade relations between the two countries, expanding energy
cooperation, and developing transport infrastructure can be
discussed. Cooperation in these areas may have a positive impact on
the economies of both countries. Pezeshkian’s visit is also
important from the perspective of discussing regional security
issues. Azerbaijan and Iran are interested in joint activities to
ensure regional stability. This visit can become an important step
in terms of developing cooperation between the two countries in the
field of security and coordinating approaches to regional issues,”
he concluded.
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