"Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Armenia and Iran will use the Nakhchivan rail corridor," according to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
In Aliyev's words, efforts to open the rail corridor are now underway, and it will soon become functional, as the 10 November agreement envisages this.
The Azerbaijani leader focused his attention on the corridor's special significance in strengthening economic links among the countries of the South Caucasus, and he said that negotiations with Russia are underway on the project of repairing the railway in the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic.
Plans to build a railway between Turkey and Azerbaijan were publicized as early as on 12 November. The railway project was named the Turkish Gate.
Azerbaijan's Report.az says that the Turkish Gate railway project will enjoy significant strategic advantages.
Oktay Tarnisever, the Head of the Working Group in the field of Energy Diplomacy of the World Energy Council Turkish National Committee, said that the Turkish Gate promotes the establishment of close links between Turkish-speaking countries of Central Asia and the formation of a trade corridor with China.
Both sides say that the project will promote the development of Turkey and Azerbaijan and their bilateral trade, with this ensuring reduction of tariffs.
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.
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/.
