A conference entitled "North-South and East-West transport corridors - the basis for mutual connection and joint cooperation" was held in virtual order together with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

"APA-Economics" reports with reference to the information released by the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport that at the conference hosted by Azerbaijan, the role of transport corridors in the socio-economic development of the Eurasian region, among the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other countries within the framework of the North-South and East-West corridors issues of implementation of transport projects were discussed.

The event was attended by representatives of Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Russia and Turkey, as well as representatives of the TRACEKA Intergovernmental Commission, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, the Economic Cooperation Organization, the Organization of Turkic States, and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. performed.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rahman Hummetov said that the transformation of Azerbaijan into a transport and transit hub of the region is a priority issue on our agenda, and great efforts have been made for the development of sustainable transport and transit corridors in the region in the last ten years.

The deputy minister added that the projects implemented at the initiative of our country play a special role in the development of international transport corridors.

Today, a modern transport infrastructure has been created in Azerbaijan that allows cargo to be transported either in the North, South, East or West directions.

"Today, we observe a growing interest in the Middle Corridor.

For this reason, we are making additional efforts together with Turkey and Georgia to increase the capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, which is one of the main arteries of the Middle Corridor, to 5 million tons," said R. Hummetov.

In the continuation of his speech, the deputy minister gave information about the Zangezur corridor, which can have a significant impact on the expansion of the transit potential of both the East-West and North-South corridors and lead to strategic changes in the transport and communication map of the region.

R. Hummetov noted that the construction of Zangezur corridor, which is the shortest and safest transit corridor, will ensure the diversification of transport connections between China and the countries of Central Asia in the direction of Europe and will create new economic opportunities for all the countries of the region.

At the end of his speech, the deputy minister stated that the maximum use of the transport potential of the region is a common goal and expressed confidence that the complementary transport systems of the countries will contribute to sustainable economic development.