MINSK, 27 May (BelTA) - Belarus invites Azerbaijan to cancel road tolls for Belarusian forwarders in Azerbaijan, Belarusian Deputy Transport and Communications Minister Sergei Dubina said during an online round table “Development of the Eurasian transport framework and the significant role of Azerbaijan in this process” on the topic “Aligning the International North-South Transport Corridor with other transport corridors passing through Azerbaijan”, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Embassy in Azerbaijan.
“Any logistics project can use its potential, constantly increasing its competitiveness. Delivery of goods along the North-South corridor, taking into account numerous transloads from one mode of transport to another, increases the risks of rising transportation costs. That is why it is so important to build effective logistics, to form comprehensive rates for the entire route along the corridor, to simplify various procedures, which in the end will help achieve a significant increase in operations conducted by all participants of the project,” Sergei Dubina said.
He called it important to continue work to remove barriers to road transportation. In order to increase mutual trade between the countries, as well as boost development of international road transportation of goods, Belarus called on Azerbaijan to consider the possibility of abolishing the permit system for all types of road transportation.
“Our proposal as the next step is to consider the abolition of road tolls for Belarusian forwarders in Azerbaijan. Belarus canceled road tolls for foreign vehicles on public roads back in 2019. I believe that equal conditions for road toll collection between the two countries will help increase cargo traffic through the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan,” said Sergei Dubina.
In his opinion, the mutual efforts of the countries to develop the International North-South Transport Corridor will help solve ongoing issues, create a groundwork for fruitful cooperation to increase cargo traffic and ultimately ensure the growth of the economies of the participating countries.
“International transportation corridors are of crucial importance for the development of trade and economic cooperation between countries, as well as for the strengthening of regional economic integration. Given the increasing traffic between Asia and the EAEU countries, the current important task is to increase the capacity and stabilize the functioning of international transport corridors, including multimodal ones,” the deputy minister added.
In his words, today it is more important than ever to support systemic transformations, strengthen trade ties with partners in the Eurasian Economic Union, as well as the CIS, Middle East, Asia and Africa.
“That is why the expansion and increase of carrying capacity of the main transport and logistics corridors is going towards the Eastern, Azov-Black Sea and Caspian directions and further towards the Persian Gulf through the International North-South Transport Corridor. Our future lies in ensuring that our countries are connected by high-tech transportation. For this purpose, we harmonize our efforts, increase transparency and share best practices and competencies,” said Sergei Dubina.
According to him, development of multimodal cargo transportation is underway. Within the International North-South Transport Corridor, Belarus organized the shipment of two container trains to China along the Belarus-Russia-Azerbaijan route on the western branch of the corridor, then by road transport through Iran with loading on a sea vessel in the port of Bandar Abbas.
The first transportation of container trains along the eastern branch of the North-South corridor has been organized this year along the Belarus-Russia-Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran route and further by sea transport to China.
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