Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Cargo transportation by ships via the Caspian Sea is growing steadily, Chairman of Azerbaijan State Caspian Shipping Company said on December 5.

While the volume of cargo transportation was 1.4 million tons in 1996, it exceeded 10.3 million tons last year, Rauf Veliyev said at a discussion panel during the third Caspian Forum in Istanbul.

"Partnership between our company and the relevant structures of the countries involved in these projects is important for increasing the commercial opportunities of regional projects and the transit potential of the region," he said.

"The key to implementing such projects is establishing a dialogue between the structures, coordinating steps, and taking joint actions on the issues of tariffs, customs procedures, and eliminating bureaucratic barriers. One of the main directions of the company's strategy is making effective use of the potentials of the Eurasian transport corridor," Veliyev added.

He also said the company plans to improve corporate management, construct new vessels which will meet all standards and customers' requirements, and carry out the certification of vessels according to modern standards.

Organized by the Caspian Strategic Institute HASEN, the Caspian Forum was held on December 4-5 and brought together distinguished government officials, representatives from academia, businessmen, policy makers, NGOs, and media from all over the world.

The forum is a platform that explores the economic, political, and strategic potential of the Caspian region, and defines areas of collaboration and partnership with the spirit of the win-win principle.