Beijing backs Kiev’s initiative to transit cargos via Azerbaijan
By Nigar Orujova
China supports Ukraine’s proposal to create the Trans-Caspian transport route from China to Europe through Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, bypassing Russia, in addition to existing transit routes.
Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, announced about this on January 25, TASS news agency reported.
She further noted the importance for the development of the Silk Road Economic Belt of already existing freight rail route from China to Europe “based on the Trans-Siberian Railway and the new Eurasian transcontinental bridge”.
Ukraine has earlier announced the start of processing export route bypassing Russia.
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Ukraine signed a protocol in Baku on January 14 to establish preferential tariffs for cargo transportation on the Trans-Caspian international transport routes. The countries plan to develop a common tariff policy by mid-February.
Meanwhile, Ukraine launched the first test train from Ilyichevsk seaport in Odessa region on the Ukraine-Georgia-Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan-China route on January 15.
Kiev plans the new route to run from the station Izov on the border of Ukraine and Poland to Dostyk station on the border of Kazakhstan and China, including ferry across the Black and the Caspian Sea, and will take two weeks at most.
The test train consisting of ten cars and twenty forty-foot containers has departed from Baku international sea trade port to the Kazakh port of Aktau on January 22. The train is expected to arrive to Aktau in January 30.
Earlier, Head of the Economic Department of the Ukrainian Embassy in Baku, Vadim Sidyachenko told AzerNews that Ukraine seeks the development of the Baku Sea Trade Port as a transport hub of the Caspian and the Caucasus regions.
“We have already brought Ukrainian shipping transport companies so they were acquainted with the work of the port and hauled loads in this direction,” he noted.
In the future, Ukraine plans to carry up to 2-3 million tons of cargo annually through Azerbaijan to Central Asia as well as in Iran and later in India and the Persian Gulf.
Moreover, Turkey has recently increased transportation via Azerbaijan.
The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route enjoys an opportunity to become attractive and profitable for consignors from European countries.
The route will transport approximately 300,000-400,000 containers by 2020, bringing hundreds of millions of manats in profit to Azerbaijan.
The first container train on this route arrived at Baku International Sea Trade Port from China in August. The train, consisting of 44 wagons, departed from the Alashankou export station of the Chinese Urumqi-Xinjiang province and arrived in Tbilisi in eight days transiting through the territory of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan is keen on developing transportation possibilities of the country by creating the Coordinating Council for Transit Cargo Transportations, and applying the principle of ‘single window’ for transport of transit cargoes through its territory via the railways, maritime transport, ports and terminals.
Moreover, the country introduced attractive transportation fees in an effort to become a major transport hub of the region.
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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar
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