Turkey to increase cargo traffic to Turkmenistan via Azerbaijan
By Vusala Abbasova
Turkey plans to increase the cargo traffic to Turkmenistan via Azerbaijan as an alternative to the current Iranian route.
Turkey will transfer up to 50 percent of cargo traffic across Azerbaijan after guarantees for additional discounts by Azerbaijani side, said Executive Director of the Turkish International Road Carriers Association (UND) Fatih Sener in an interview with Trend.
The UND's executive director noticed that over 50,000 Turkish trucks are going annually to Turkmenistan via Iran, while only 5,000 trucks are using the Azerbaijani route.
Sener noted that the main problem for Turkish cargo transportation through the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian Sea is the high costs imposed by the Azerbaijani side.
Earlier, despite the fact that Azerbaijan allowed a discount at a rate of 10 percent, cargo traffic across Azerbaijan still cost more than shipments to Europe, added Sener.
"One mile of cargo traffic from Azerbaijan to Turkmenistan on the Caspian Sea costs ten dollars, while the same distance of cargo traffic from Turkey to Italy costs approximately one dollar," Sener said.
Turkey could increase cargo flows via Azerbaijan up to 25,000 trucks per year if mutual satisfactory conditions are agreed upon with Azerbaijan.
Turkey is interested in the Azerbaijani route because cargo traffic via Azerbaijan will significantly reduce cargo delivery time.
"Currently, Turkish trucks are delayed for a long time on the Turkish-Iranian and Iranian-Turkmen border. Sometimes the delay reaches to 10 days," Sener said.
Earlier, Cetin Nuhoglu, the head of the Turkish International Road Carriers Association (UND) said that Iran creates artificial obstacles for Turkish carriers and often fines drivers, delaying the import of Turkish goods to the country.
"Over 70 percent of Turkish goods delay is caused by the Iranian side," Nuhoglu said.
Moreover, Turkey and China agreed to sign a mutual agreement on the joint use of highways to scheduled to commence on in February 2016.
The agreement includes the creation of a transport route for cargo traffic between the two countries in the framework of the Economic Belt of the Silk Road construction.
Sener mentioned that the issue of the transport route, which will increase imports into Turkey, is still unsettled and therefore Azerbaijan has great potential to become a transit country within the framework of the Turkey-China agreement.
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