2024-07-12 04:23:24
Source: Trend International Information Agency
Azerbaijan plays a key role as a hub between Europe and Asia.
As reported by Day.Az, the official representative of the European Commission, Adalbert Janz, said this in an exclusive interview with Trend.
In this regard, he noted that Azerbaijan is a key player in efforts for regional coordination along the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor).
According to Yants, cargo traffic along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor has tripled since its launch in 2017 and doubled since the start of the war in Ukraine.
“This route has the potential to increase land-based trade volumes between Europe and Asia if key bottlenecks, capacity constraints and other connectivity issues (including customs, border crossing and documentation) are adequately addressed in coordination with all key partners involved. This is precisely what the European Commission is focusing on in the Global Gateways Strategy – improving the operational efficiency and economic attractiveness of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, based on the results of the EU-funded study on sustainable transport links between Europe and Central Asia from June 2023,” the source said.
Janz noted that this work continues to be carried out in close consultation with all five Central Asian countries, as well as other relevant stakeholders, guided by the EU’s inclusive approach to regional connectivity, with the aim of also supporting the sustainable economic development of all countries concerned.
“The EU-funded study on sustainable transport links between Europe and Central Asia identified the need for 33 actions on hard infrastructure investment across the region (e.g. upgrading existing railways and roads, additional connections, expanding vehicle fleets, expanding port capacities, rolling stock, logistics centres, warehousing) and seven actions on soft connectivity (e.g. trade facilitation, tariff harmonisation, customs procedures, border controls, interoperability, market liberalisation). These are all concrete, implementable actions that can contribute to enhancing the competitiveness, economic attractiveness and operational efficiency of the Trans-Caspian Transport Network and offer opportunities for all five Central Asian countries to maximise their sustainable economic development by better connecting with each other and with Europe,” said a Commission spokesman.
He said the estimated investment needed for the “hard” infrastructure of the Middle Corridor alone was around €18.5 billion.
“Therefore, in the spirit of Team Europe (the Team Europe initiative on water, energy and climate change in Central Asia is designed to develop synergies with ongoing projects and accelerate the transition from blue to green), the EU is engaging European financial institutions, as well as other international financial institutions, the private sector and like-minded countries in coordinating the efforts of various potential investors. In January 2024, at the Global Gateway Investor Forum on EU-Central Asia Connectivity, the European Commission announced €10 billion to support and invest in sustainable transport connectivity in Central Asia. A dedicated Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor Coordination Platform was recently launched, in which the Government of Azerbaijan also participates,” Janz said.
It is worth noting that from the beginning of 2025, the EU will finance the Central Asia Transport Programme, currently under preparation, to advance regulatory and legislative reforms, help improve aspects of “soft” connectivity in the corridor and support the acceleration of investment in transport infrastructure. This will be complemented by a Central Asia Prosperity Programme, which, among other elements, will promote trade facilitation and digitalisation along the corridor.
The European Commission representative noted that the EU has already extended its Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) to neighbouring countries in the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership region (including the South Caucasus) and Turkey.
“While there are currently no plans to extend the TEN-T network beyond these regions, the European Union is committed to promoting sustainable connectivity with Central Asia in the light of its transport infrastructure policy (TEN-T) and to ensuring sustainable links between the extended TEN-T and Central Asia. For this reason, the European Commission has organised an expert-level workshop on TEN-T connectivity with Central Asian countries in Brussels in April 2024 to share experiences and know-how to further facilitate the development of a regional connectivity network between Central Asian countries. Azerbaijan, of course, plays a key role as a hub between Europe and Asia. Part of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor also passes through Azerbaijan, in particular its port of Baku on the Caspian Sea, as well as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway section, which is also part of the jointly agreed TEN-T extension.” he said.
Yants noted that Azerbaijan is a key player in regional coordination efforts along the Middle Corridor, as clearly demonstrated by the joint venture established between Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kazakhstan in 2022.
“The EU approach envisages the creation of a regional connectivity network covering all five Central Asian countries. In this context, the South Caucasus region is also actively involved in the EU-led regional coordination efforts involving all five Central Asian countries to develop a connectivity network that will facilitate greater regional connectivity. In addition to the already agreed TEN-T extension in Azerbaijan and the related ongoing implementation efforts, the EU-funded study on sustainable transport links between Europe and Central Asia, launched in June 2023, opened up new opportunities for cooperation between the EU and all five Central Asian countries,” he said.
Regarding the Central Asian region, the representative said the study assessed all possible corridor options and proposed key actions for corridor expansion based on the same TEN-T principles and strict sustainability criteria, taking into account environmental, social, economic, financial/debt sustainability.
“The results of this study remain the basis for the EU’s ongoing work to improve the operational efficiency and economic attractiveness of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor. Therefore, environmental and economic factors are well taken into account in all subsequent activities,” he concluded.
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