Azerbaijan aims to increase its transit cargo volume to 16 million tons this year, and to raise this figure to 25 million tons or more by 2030.

Operativ Media reports that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said this during his speech at an event titled "Restoring Trust in a Fragmented World: The South Caucasus as a Pillar of Global Connectivity and Investment Stability," organized as part of the 2nd Azerbaijan International Investment Forum in Baku.

The head of state noted that rapid growth has been achieved in transit cargo transportation, and one of the main goals in this direction is to continuously increase the set targets.

“This year, transit cargo volume will reach 16 million tons. However, our goal is to increase this figure to 25 million tons, or perhaps even higher, by 2030,” the president emphasized.

Ilham Aliyev noted that physical infrastructure has been created for this purpose, with investments made in railways, seaports, air cargo, and highways.

“Sixty percent of our railways have been electrified, and this process is ongoing. We have railway connections with all our neighbors, as well as within the country. This was an important part of the work,” the head of state said.

According to the president, building good relations with neighboring countries and their neighbors is essential to becoming a developed nation. He noted that as a landlocked country, this factor is of particular importance.

Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan has worked in this direction as well, and relations with all neighboring countries are currently clear and predictable.

The head of state said that an appropriate environment and incentives have been created for shippers to choose the Azerbaijani route. According to him, these efforts were implemented before the current geopolitical changes.

The president emphasized that both physical and administrative environments have been established for shippers to opt for multimodal transportation when passing through Azerbaijan. He noted that ferry transport also plays an important role in this process.

“Today, we see growing demand for cargo transportation through Azerbaijan, both in the East-West and North-South directions. We are located at the intersection of these two important routes. By the way, Azerbaijan is one of the very few countries that is an active participant in both transport projects,” Ilham Aliyev said.

The president stated that Azerbaijan actively cooperates with neighboring countries along both the East-West and North-South routes.

Ilham Aliyev pointed out that Azerbaijan's relations with Central Asia are also expanding. He noted that Azerbaijan has been a member of the Central Asian Consultative Council since November last year.

“Geographically, we are located in the South Caucasus, but politically, economically, and from a transport perspective, we are already part of the greater Central Asian region,” the head of state noted.

The president added that transport management and digitalization, customs administration, as well as the existence of clear and understandable rules for investors in Azerbaijan, strengthen the country's transit and investment potential.