The construction of Nakhchivan railway will take a maximum of two years. Experts say that Georgia must do everything in its power to remain an important actor with its transit function in the region. Some experts are confident that nothing can pose a threat to Georgia's transit function, as the country has a unique geopolitical location.
According to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the construction of the railway from Horadiz to Zangilan will take a maximum of two years. Work to carry out the project will start in the coming days.
"This is at the top of our agenda. I am confident that we can already start freight transport from Azerbaijan to Turkey via Armenia and Nakhchivan. We will open the Nakhchivan corridor as referred to in 10 November trilateral agreement," Aliyev said, adding that freights will be transported by vehicles before the completion of the railway.
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said that Azerbaijan's victory in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war is a turning point in Azerbaijan-Turkey relations and in the entire region.
Akar said that, hopefully, the railway line between Nakhchivan and Zangilan would soon be opened. In his words, Turkey and Azerbaijan must monitor the location.
In the long-term future, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars and Baku-Nakhchivan-Turkey railway lines are planned to be merged into one. After the plan to build a railway to Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic was disclosed, some experts expressed an opinion that Georgia might no longer be part of The New Silk Road project; however, others believe that the country has such a beneficial geopolitical situation that the prospect of Georgia losing its transit function is unlikely.
In order for Georgia to remain 'an influential player in this game', in experts' words, the country must establish a joint enterprise on the Kars Railway (with this being provided for in the agreement with Azerbaijan), as according to experts, foreign investments will be carried out here. Additionally, the Akhalkalaki railway station must become a pivot element of the European and Russian railway systems.
According to Georgia's Economic Minister, the capacity to send export cargo via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway from Georgia to China via the shortest route can reduce freight cost and increase Georgia's competitiveness in the hub.
Around 400,000 tonnes of cargo has already been transported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line. In January-October 2020, the number of containers shipped from or to China via Georgia through the middle corridor amounted to 2343 TEU, which is 35.1% more than in the same period of 2019 (1734 TEU). in January-October 2020, using the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, BTK, 1260 TEU was transported, which is 371.9% more than in the same period in 2019 (267 TEU).
For further details on the BTK railway line and its economic effect on Georgia and its partner countries, follow the link https://report.ge/en/search/Baku-Tbilisi-Kars/.
