Azerbaijan, Pakistan Could Greatly Benefit From Middle Corridor Connectivity - FM Bayramov

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 30. Azerbaijan andPakistan could greatly benefit from the Middle Corridorconnectivity, said Jeyhun Bayramov, Minister of Foreign Affairs ofAzerbaijan, during a joint press briefing with his Pakistanicounterpart Ishaq Dar, Trend reports.

"The issue of connectivity is always at the top of our agenda we talk about projects from which both Azerbaijan and Pakistancan benefit, special attention should be paid to the East-West, orso-called Middle Corridor. This project is around 2,000 kilometersshorter compared to other initiatives when we talk about landconnectivity. In Azerbaijan, we pay special attention to thisissue," he said.

"First of all, we have our immediate neighbors, in differentformats. As a result of the work done recently, in 2023, we managedto increase the transit flow through the Middle Corridor by 65percent, and we have more ambitious plans for the upcoming years,"the minister elaborated.

FM Bayramov further added that important investment decisionshave been made to expand the Baku Sea Trade Port from the current15 to 25 million tons. "Azerbaijan is also investing heavily inrailroad infrastructure - both in our own territory and even inneighboring countries".

"We believe that with the increase in various economic projectsbetween Pakistan and Central Asian countries, and being aware ofthe Pakistan-China Economic Corridor, the transit dimension of thisproject can create a very good synergy. It was one of the topics oftoday's discussions," he concluded.

The Middle Corridor is a transportation and trade route thatconnects Asia and Europe, passing through several countries in theregion. It is an alternative route to the traditional NorthernCorridor and Southern Corridor.

The route starts in China and crosses Central Asian countriessuch as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then passesthrough the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye beforereaching Europe.

The Middle Corridor offers a land route that connects theeastern parts of Asia, including China, with Europe, bypassing thelonger maritime routes.

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