Azerbaijan To Expand Electronic Permit Exchange With More Countries By Year-End - ABADA

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Azerbaijan is expected to expand the practice of exchanging electronic permits with a number of countries by the end of the year, Secretary General of the Azerbaijan International Road Carriers Association (ABADA) Kenan Gurbanov said, Trend 's correspondent reports from the event.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of the 5th International Freight Transport Forum in the Black Sea and Caspian regions - 2026, held in Baku.

According to Gurbanov, significant progress has been made this year in the digitalization of the Middle Corridor.“Azerbaijan has played a leading role as the driving force of this corridor. The country already exchanges electronic permits with Türkiye, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The system has been established and is already operational. At the same time, work is continuing with other countries,” he said.

Gurbanov noted that Azerbaijan is expected to begin exchanging electronic permits with several more countries by the end of the year. The ABADA secretary general also highlighted ongoing efforts to transition to the electronic consignment note system e-CMR.“As we know, Azerbaijan was among the first countries to join the convention on electronic CMR. Currently, work is underway with the Ministries of Justice of Russia and Azerbaijan. I believe that, according to current forecasts, the first shipment using electronic CMR will take place by the end of the year. The transition to e-CMR is of great importance for road transport,” he said.

Gurbanov also announced the first shipment carried out using the electronic TIR system.“Last month, the first shipment under e-TIR was carried out. This is a customs convention document between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. At the next stage, the first e-TIR shipment between Azerbaijan and Türkiye is planned. The transition of three key transport documents - electronic permits, e-CMR and e-TIR - to digital formats will reduce the use of paper documentation in freight transport,” he noted.

Commenting on the obstacles preventing a complete transition to digital procedures, Gurbanov said that the Middle Corridor is a chain whose efficiency depends on every link. He noted that each country has its own infrastructure and electronic systems, and their integration requires time. According to him, pilot projects have already demonstrated positive results.

Gurbanov emphasized that the first TIR shipment between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, as well as the shipment between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, were successfully completed. He added that the next steps will focus on developing electronic transport procedures with Türkiye, Georgia and other countries.

Gurbanov also expressed hope that the e-CMR system will become fully operational by the end of the year.“If it also starts operating by the end of the year, this will provide a major boost to the development of the Middle Corridor. Improving transport volumes, quality and speed is also linked to the transition to electronic document management. It is very important to move to digital documentation so that trucks and vehicles do not remain at borders waiting for paperwork to be processed in other countries,” he said.

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