Azerbaijan, Turkey ink protocol on int’l road transport

By Leman Mammadova

Turkey and Azerbaijan, both effectively use their economic and energy capabilities, as well as the geopolitical position to expand bilateral and regional cooperation.

The Azerbaijani-Turkish joint commission on international road transport held its meeting in Izmir, Trend reports referring to the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan.

The meeting was chaired by head of the State Road Transport Service under the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan Habib Hasanov from the Azerbaijani side and head of the General Directorate of Road Transport Regulation of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey Mahmut Gurses from the Turkish side.

The purpose of the meeting was to further develop cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey in the field of international road transport, as well as the implementation of the requirements of bilateral agreements concluded between the two countries.

The meeting discussed the current situation in the field of international road transport between the two countries, the exchange of static data on trade relations and authorization forms used by road carriers of both countries, problems faced by road carriers in the implementation of freight and passenger transport, and ways to address them.

At the same time, the parties exchanged views on maintenance parity regarding the number of buses involved in passenger transportation on the Baku-Istanbul-Baku route, upcoming issues in connection with the commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the discrepancy between the allowed weight of large-sized and heavy foreign vehicles traveling on public roads of Azerbaijan, and Article 211.2 of the Tax Code, simplifying procedures for obtaining visas by road carriers of both countries.

The subject of discussions, in particular, were the problems of the carriers of Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic existing at the border checkpoint “Sederek-Diluju” while traveling to Georgia and other countries through Turkey, the number of quotas for authorization forms used for transportation in 2019, prospects for the development of transport and other topical issues.

Hasanov spoke about the large-scale reforms implemented in Azerbaijan in recent years in the field of transport, innovations in the road transport structure and major regional projects.

Following the discussions of aforementioned issues, as well as other topical issues on the agenda, a relevant protocol was signed between the delegations at the next meeting of the joint commission.

By 2017, 144.8 million tons of cargo and 1.7 billion passengers were transported by road. In 2017, revenues from road transportation totaled about 1.2 billion manat ($710,000 million).

Turkey is a partner in many strategic projects of Azerbaijan. Turkey was the first state to recognize Azerbaijan's independence in 1991 and has been a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan in its efforts to consolidate its independence, preserve its territorial integrity and realize its economic potential arising from the rich natural resources of the Caspian Sea.

Two countries have gained good experience in the implementation of large-scale projects of international importance, which are well known in the region and the world. These are Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, TANAP, the Southern Gas Corridor and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

All projects initiated by Azerbaijan and Turkey are implemented successfully and serve further development and well-being of two nations. The created infrastructure opens up opportunities for further increased freight traffic.

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