(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) AGHBAND, Azerbaijan, September 5.​ Rising trade ties are strengthening the strategic role of the Middle Corridor, with freight volumes along the route increasing year by year, said Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, head of the Public Relations Department of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, Trend's regional correspondent reports.

Speaking to reporters, Hajiyev noted that international financial institutions have projected significant growth for the corridor.

"According to forecasts from the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), freight along the Middle Corridor is expected to reach 11 million tons by 2030, while container capacity could rise to 865,000 TEU by 2040. In this context, the opening of the Zangazur Corridor, a crucial branch of the Middle Corridor, holds particular significance,” Hajiyev said.

He noted that the Zangazur Corridor's annual freight potential is estimated at around 15 million tons.

“This underscores the corridor's added value for both the Middle Corridor and the North–South transport route, expanding Azerbaijan's transit capabilities.

The corridor also provides an alternative to existing routes, enabling diversified cargo movement in multiple directions, further strengthening the region's transit potential and establishing Azerbaijan as a major logistics hub along the Middle Corridor,” Hajiyev said.

Hajiyev added that the Zangazur Corridor complements both the Middle Corridor and the North-South transport route.

"This corridor creates new opportunities for cargo from India and Iran to move north through Azerbaijan, with goods from Iran potentially passing through Nakhchivan to Türkiye and onward to Northern Europe," he concluded.

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