(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Qabil Ashirov Read more
Middle Corridor, playing out from the Far East to Europe, is an
important and promising mega project that will shape the future of
the region. The current geopolitical situation ramped up the
significance of the Corridor. China and many European countries are
keen on increasing the load capacity and speed of the corridor.
Fortunately, the South Caucasus is situated in the heart of the
corridor, and Azerbaijan and Georgia are irreplaceable parts of
this transport segment.
The two Caucasian fraternal countries do their best to complete
all infrastructure works located on the corridor to increase the
load capacity and speed. The issue was one of the main topics on
the agenda of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's visit to
Tbilisi. The construction of the Anaklia deep-water port, the
completion of the East-West road, and other issues were voiced in
the press conference within the framework of the visit.
Speaking to Azernews on the issue, expert on
transport issues Rauf Agamirzayev said that the construction of the
port of Anaklia as a deep-water port on the Eastern Coast of the
Black Sea was planned even during the time of the Soviet Union, and
then it was actively put on the agenda during the years of
independence. He stressed that the construction of this port could
have a very positive economic impact on the region as a whole.
“Because this deep water port will bring new opportunities. The
annual turnover of the port alone is 80-100 million tons, and it is
planned to handle up to one million containers. It means berthing
of Panamax-type ships (which can carry 10,000 containers at the
same time), which in turn will increase the attractiveness of the
corridor. However, blocking the construction of the port has had
political aspects. However, the construction of this port was
tabled once again in a complicated period. Because Russia is under
sanctions and traditional roads are blocked, alternative roads and
the elimination of bottlenecks on these roads are on the agenda.
The port construction budget should be equal to $2. Probably,
not only Georgia but also its partners can participate in this
construction. There are countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,
the UAE, China, etc., which are interested in the construction of
this port. Georgia should make a choice so that investors can
actively participate in it,” he noted.
Rauf Agamirzayev told that Azerbaijan has a port, Kulevi
terminal, on the Black Sea. The terminal is the final point of the
Baku-Supsa pipeline. He noted that its expansion project is also
tabled because Kazakhstan wants to diversify oil export through
Azerbaijan's pipeline system to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean
Sea.
“Kazakhstan's main export pipeline is a pipeline from the CPC
(Caspian Pipeline Consortioum) that stretched from Tengiz field in
the north of the Caspian Sea to Novorossiysk. They expressed their
desire to diversify it. For this, additional work should be done in
order to use the existing infrastructural means that we already
have, as well as to increase the volume in the future. Construction
of oil terminals in ports in Kazakhstan and expansion of existing
terminals in Azerbaijan are on the agenda,” Raul Agamirzayev
said.
The transport pundit touched on the highways and railways and
pointed out that most of the East-West highway has already been
built and upgraded to four lanes. In Azerbaijan, a part of the last
27 km is left in the Gazakh district. However, on the Georgian
side, there are more works in comparison with Azerbaijan. He
underlined that it is likely that the handover will be completed by
the end of next year with the completion of many parts and
completion in 2025.
“Meanwhile, reconstruction works on the Azerbaijan railway
segment have been completed. Electric current has been finished
from Ujar to Beyuk Kesik and continues from Ujar to Baku. As for
Georgia, the modernization of the railways has been carried out
since 2012 and will be completed in 2024. It is worth noting the
modernization of railways will double the capacity for transporting
goods. The modernization project involves the construction of six
tunnels, including the longest in the South Caucasus, the
Kvisheti-Zvare tunnel with a length of more than 8 km,” R.
Agamirzayev added.
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