Baku, Azerbaijan, April 21. Azerbaijan is the
second country after China to have invested the most in the Belt
and Road project both on its own territory and abroad, said
President Ilham Aliyev in an exclusive interview with China’s Xinhua, Trend reports.
“As you may know, Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to
support the Belt and Road initiative put forward by the President
of the People’s Republic of China. We are implementing serious
projects in this direction. It is safe to say that Azerbaijan is
the second country after China to have invested the most in this
project both on its own territory and abroad. Speaking at the
second Belt and Road Forum held in China in April 2019, I noted
that this project not only provides transport links, but also
strengthens the relations between different countries, serves to
bolster dialogue and cooperation, and creates new opportunities for
international trade.
We are expanding our cooperation with China within the framework
of the Belt and Road initiative. Significant progress has already
been made in this direction. Leveraging its advantageous
geographical location, Azerbaijan continues to extensively develop
international transport corridors, create modern infrastructure and
invest additional funds in increasing their capacity in response to
the sharp increase in cargo traffic through our territory.
Over the past 20 years, 21,000 kilometers of highways have been
built and renovated, 335 bridges and overpasses, 45 tunnels, 163
overland and underground crossings have been built in Azerbaijan.
Considerable progress has also been made in improving railway
infrastructure including the construction of over 1,500 kilometers
of new railways and the renovation of 1,800 kilometers of existing
tracks.
Such important transport projects as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars
railway, the International North-South Transport Corridor and the
Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor), as
well as the Baku International Trade Seaport, one of the major
ports on the Caspian Sea, are opening up new horizons for the
implementation of economic and transport opportunities within the
framework of the Belt and Road initiative,” said President Ilham
Aliyev.