BBC has published an article on transport infrastructure of Azerbaijan, APA reports.
The country's infrastructure, its both regional and international importance have been touched upon in the article entitled "The New Silk Road: why advanced transport infrastructure is key to the future of Azerbaijan".
"Throughout history, the country known today as Azerbaijan was a key location on The Silk Road, the ancient network of trade routes connecting Central Asia with the West.
Today, 21st Century technologies have changed the landscape of transport, logistics and cargo shipping beyond recognition. Once again, however, Azerbaijan is at the forefront of transport infrastructure across the wider region, with investment in major projects to futureproof the country’s exporting potential.
Since 2000, Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, has been home to the Permanent Secretariat of the ICG TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia) an international intergovernmental commission to strengthen economic relations, trade and transport links between the European Union and 12 member states of the Eastern European, Caucasus and Central Asian region.
Given the importance of its road network to both domestic commerce and to international businesses looking to invest in and trade from Azerbaijan, the country has completed more than 50 major road construction and reconstruction projects in the past few years. Thousands of kilometres of road has been created or renovated, linking and opening up the villages, towns and cities of Azerbaijan like never before. The country has also repaired or constructed more than 300 bridges and renewed all its main cross-border roads connecting the country with Georgia, Russia and Iran.
The historic Port of Baku has been a key location on European-to-Asia shipping routes since it opened in 1902, however, in recent times, a major upgrade of the port was required. As a result, the state-of-the-art new Baku International Sea Trade Port ferry terminal was opened at Alat, 40 miles south of Baku, in 2018.
First established in 1878, the railway system in Azerbaijan is the largest and busiest in the South Caucasus region, measuring over 2,900km of track. In recent years, Azerbaijan has backed major investment in its internal and international rail infrastructure.
The new Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, for example, connects Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey for energy and shipment transportation from China. The new line saves around 7,500km of travel for goods shipping between China and Europe, reducing shipment times significantly as well as reducing fuel consumption and the environmental impact of each journey.
As the airline industry recovers from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the airport recently announced that 20 airlines are back and operating flights in Azerbaijan. In addition to the flag carrier Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) and its low-cost subsidiary (Buta Airways), such major carriers as Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Aeroflot, S7, flyDubai, and a number of other carriers have resumed or are preparing to resume flights to the country.
The country’s massive investment in transportation infrastructure in recent years means that, whether it’s by land, sea, rail or air, Azerbaijan is well-connected and open for business!" noted in the Article.
