Turkish Ministry of Transport: Ankara supports all integration projects with Central Asia, South Caucasus

The commissioning of the Zangazur Corridor will further enhance the potential of the Middle Corridor, Turkish Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Durmus Unuvar said at the 2nd Azerbaijan-Türkiye Investment Forum, as quoted by Report.

He noted that cargo currently takes 45 days to transport from China to Europe by sea. However, via the Middle Corridor and Türkiye, this timeframe will be reduced to 18 days, he added.

"In this context, I would like to note that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project, which we are implementing jointly with Azerbaijan and Georgia, is an integration project of global significance," he said.

The deputy minister noted that the foundation stone for the Kars-Igdir-Aralik-Dilucu railway line has been laid in Türkiye to commission the Zangazur Corridor, one of the most important transport projects in the region. The cost of constructing the 224-kilometer section of the road, is approximately 140 billion liras ($3.27 billion – ed.), he added.

"The Zangazur Corridor will ensure integration not only at the regional but also global level. With these projects, the potential of the Middle Corridor, whose importance is becoming increasingly clear and which is the shortest and safest trade route from Asia to Europe, will further grow. Türkiye supports all possible integration projects not only with Central Asia and Europe, but also with the countries of the South Caucasus region," Unuvar said.