Agband Railway Opens New Horizon For Economic Prosperity In S Caucasus

The occupation of the regions of Garabagh and Zangazur byArmenia and the inadequate use of the strategic importance of thoseterritories for thirty years devalued the importance of theexisting prospects for years. Even during the time of the SovietUnion, the Minjivan railway between East and West Zangazur playedan exceptional role in establishing a connection with Nakhchivan that time, the presence of special trade networks in theterritory of Minjivan also led to an increase in traffic betweenEast and West Azerbaijan.

Unfortunately, as a result of the occupation policy of Armenia,the strategic importance of those territories was overshadowed fora long time, and this directly led to many negative reasons for theSouth Caucasus: there were negative effects on the economicpotential of both Azerbaijan and Armenia, communication lines wereparalysed, and the livelihood of the population was greatlydeclined.

Nevertheless, with the efforts of the glorious army ofAzerbaijan and the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijanrestored its territorial integrity in November 2020, after a 44-dayPatriotic War. Immediately after this historical victory, theimplementation of a number of important infrastructure projects wasstarted in the liberated territories.

One of such projects is the reconstruction of theHoradiz-Aghband railway line. During his visit to Azerbaijan'sZangilan, President Ilham Aliyev announced that the foundation ofthe Horadiz-Aghband railway line had been laid and that thisrailway would connect the main part of Azerbaijan through theZangazur corridor to Nakhchivan. The mentioned railway line will beone of the main elements of the Zangazur corridor, besides being ofstrategic and economic importance for Azerbaijan.

Approximately 80% of the construction works of theHoradiz-Agband railway line, which was laid by the President ofAzerbaijan Ilham Aliyev 3 years ago, have been successfullycompleted.

It is worth noting that the railway is of great importance bothfor the transportation of citizens and the goods. Currently, trainsof Azerbaijan Railways can move up to Hekari station of the railwayline.

9 stations on the 110.4 km long railway line, the longest23-span, 771-meter bridge of Azerbaijani railways, the first closedrailway tunnel built during Azerbaijan's independence years, andabout 500 man-made engineering facilities are underconstruction.

The railway infrastructure in question will pass throughNakhchivan and extend to Turkiye, thus creating a second railwaynetwork connecting Azerbaijan with Turkiye. It should be noted thatin 2017, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, built under the supervisionof Azerbaijan, was put into operation.

With the construction of BTK, Azerbaijan and Turkiye wereconnected by a railway line for the first time in history. Now theconstruction of the second railway between the two brotherlycountries continues.

Along with the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the construction ofthe second railway in the region is of great strategic importance will support the development of trade and tourism betweenTurkiye and Azerbaijan.

It should be noted that creating new cooperation and ensuringits functionality is one of the important steps for ensuringsecurity and stability in the South Caucasus.

Azerbaijan, as always, takes this position. Transport projectsin the region have a paramount role for the long-term developmentof the region, for its geostrategic importance and ensuringstability and reducing the risks of war to zero. Besides, givenAzerbaijan's geostrategic location between East and West, let usnot forget that all countries participating in these projects willbenefit.

Azerbaijan is currently conducting peace talks with Armenia the meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countriesin Almaty, it was once again confirmed that the conclusion of peaceagreement in the region is night. It seems that the currentArmenian government has begun to understand that aggression in theregion is only a threat and that economic and political cooperationis the only way for development.

It should be remembered that after Azerbaijan links withNakhchivan and Turkiye, a railway line from Russia to Armenia canbe launched. This line can only pass through the territory ofAzerbaijan. Railway connection can be established even betweenTurkiye and Russia, which will lead to the strengthening of theconnection of the countries in the South Caucasus with otherregions. Moreover, this will pave the way for enhancing the 3+3format which is still in the agenda of the regional states.

Also, the Horadiz-Jabrayil-Zangilan-Agband highway, which startsfrom Ahmadbeyli village of Fuzuli, is being built with 6 and 4lanes. The first 80-kilometer section of the road is planned tohave 6 lanes, with 3 departures - 3 arrivals, and the remaining43.8 kilometers, 4 lanes - 2 departures - 2 arrivals. According tothe traffic lanes, the width of the road bed is 29.5 and 21.5meters, respectively. 3 car tunnels with a total length of 6,015meters, 2 viaducts and 23 car bridges, 8 overpasses, 50underpasses, 5 crossing points, 400 circular pipes and rectangularones to ensure the transfer of water were constructed along thenewly constructed road according to the project. Besides,construction of 60 reserve crossings for water flow andcommunication lines is planned.

Recall that the Horadiz-Agbend railway line was destroyed andceased to operate after the occupation of Azerbaijan's territoriesby Armenian armed forces in 1993. For 30 years, the last stop oftrains was Horadiz station in Fuzuli district. However, after theglorious victory of Azerbaijan over Armenia, like any other road,the Agband road returns to its prosperity.

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