(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Akbar Novruz
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Today, nations across the Caspian region, along with Europe,
Turkiye, Central Asia, and China, are eager to collaborate with
Azerbaijan in the transport and logistics sector, recognizing the
country's pivotal role as a regional transport hub.
The country stands at the crossroads of several key initiatives
of the Great Silk Road, including the EU's Europe-Caucasus-Asia
(TRACECA) route, China's Belt and Road Initiative, the
Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), and the Lapis
Lazuli project in collaboration with Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and
Turkiye. Most certainly, in recent geopolitical shifts in Eurasia,
there has been a growing demand for railway trans-shipment through
Azerbaijan. The latter frequently incorporates trans-shipment via
the Middle-Corridor. As a result, the partner countries are
proactively collaborating on a range of initiatives aimed at
enhancing transit traffic along the Middle Corridor.
Afghanistan's Quest for New Trade Routes
As one of the landlocked countries, Afghanistan is continually
trying to find new routes to solve trade and transit problems to
reach open waters. Despite trade and transit agreements between
Afghanistan and Pakistan, security problems along the country's
Chabahar port route and delays in its operation as an international
port to access India's major markets, in addition to long distance
and high transport costs on the road to Iran's Bandar Abbas make
Afghanistan looking for alternatives to export its products to the
European market. For this mentioned purpose, the Lapis Lazuli Route
Transport and Transit Agreement was initiated by then Afghan
foreign minister and economic cooperation minister, Wahidullah
Waissi. The agreement aims to enhance regional economic cooperation
and connectivity between the countries of Afghanistan,
Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkiye, thereby expanding
economic and cultural links between Europe and Asia. In doing so,
the initiative seeks to improve transport infrastructure and
procedures (including for road, rail, and sea), increase exports,
and expand the economic opportunities of citizens in countries
benefiting from this new transport corridor. The "Lapis Lazuli"
corridor presents the most optimal route for international access,
given the current situation in Afghanistan.
The Lapis Lazuli Corridor: Geopolitical Implications and
the Need for Investment
The name of the transport corridor comes from the color of the
mineral lapis lazuli, which was one of the main items of exports
from Central Asia to the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa in
ancient times. Negotiations over the establishment of this new
corridor date back to 2012 and continued for five years due to
several factors in the region, including insecurity (growing
domestic violence), economic instability across Central Asia, and a
legacy of poorly developed infrastructure networks in the member
countries involved. Once the infrastructure in Azerbaijan,
including the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars International Trade Port, is
complete, cargo from Kazakhstan, China, and other places can pass
through Azerbaijan. This corridor can also be considered the
fastest method and means of delivery of products from China to the
Eurasian market. So, the product will be delivered to London in a
maximum of 12 days. Thus, the cargo transportation process in the
Lazurite corridor will be carried out by rail, sea, road, and air.
An important part of this concept is that if the Zangezur corridor
is opened, then the route can also pass through the territory of
Armenia. A direct connection of communications between Turkiye and
Azerbaijan is also in perspective. As a result, the Lapis Lazuli
and Zangezur corridors gain the opportunity to integrate into the
"North-South" and "New Silk Road" international transport
corridors.
In light of this, there is no reason why cargo from Afghanistan
should not also be transported through Azerbaijan. Moreover, the
individual countries participating in the development of the Lapis
Lazuli Corridor have their own interests at stake. Turkmenistan
hopes to diversify its economy, Afghanistan seeks an alternative
trade route and Azerbaijan aims to enhance regional connectivity.
Given this fact, the route's potential extension to include
Pakistan and India would offer critical economic benefits and
enhanced access to the Indian Ocean. Nevertheless, further
consultations with international partners and donors as well as
increased investments are needed to realize the project's full
potential. Ultimately, with the improvement of infrastructure and
regional connectivity, this transit project will likely enhance
economic and political stability among the countries involved as
well as in the regions where they operate.
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