SHUSHA, Azerbaijan, July 6. It is quite possible to increase freight traffic along the Middle Corridor to 11 million tons by 2030, the Chairman of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States Binali Yıldırım said during the informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Shusha, TurkicWorld reports.
"We have undertaken great work on the implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad. The construction of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars today means the completion of the broken link of the Middle Corridor. Although the Middle Corridor is now more efficiently utilized, it has reached only one-third of its required capacity. It is quite possible to increase freight traffic along this route to 11 million tons by 2030. There is some work for this, there are some steps," Yıldırım said.
According to him, it is extremely erroneous to consider infrastructure as commerce.
"Infrastructure and transportation are indispensable tools for trade development. In this respect, our ultimate goal should be to liberalize everything along the way, as in the European Union. The ultimate goal of the Organization of Turkic States should be to charge roads, for waiting periods, eliminate the unpredictability of tariffs here, and avoid quota problems. Thus, the Middle Corridor, which is the main trade route from West to East, will have the uptake it deserves and the place it deserves," Yıldırım said.
