According to Rufat Bayramov, Permanent Representative (National Secretary) of the TRACECA Permanent Secretariat Intergovernmental Commission in Azerbaijan, the country is ready to submit a new proposal for road transport, which the Azerbaijani side will submit as a corridor member to TRACECA member states. The country has developed these proposals based on research.
"Within the framework of TRACECA, we are conducting research on cargo transportation by road through our corridor and the Caspian Sea. One of the main issues is related to the permissible axle load of trucks. Discussions are underway in this direction since different countries have various axle load limits. In some countries, the limit is 38 tons; in others, it is 40 tons. Another issue is related to the documentation; there are also discussions in this area. Both Europe and the CIS countries apply different systems, and this leads to a delay in the registration of documents. We have prepared a "single transit agreement" within the TRACECA, which all countries have adopted. Now the procedures are underway in the countries themselves," Bayramov said and noted that once the countries agree on the terms of transit, the documents will be transferred to the electronic format, and there will be no need to obtain separate consent from each transit country.
"Let's suppose that if a carrier carries out cargo transportation between Turkey and Kazakhstan, he or she must obtain a permit separately from both Azerbaijan and Georgia. After the signing of this agreement, the carrier will pass through these countries under a single document. This will reduce the cost of transportation and save time," Bayramov explains.
