Within the framework of the meeting of the Trilateral Committee on Customs Issues between the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey held in Baku on August 18, "The Agreement between the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey on preliminary information exchange for the facilitation of transit customs procedures within the framework of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project" was signed.
The document's purpose is to implement the electronic exchange of primary data to facilitate the customs procedures for goods transported in transit within the framework of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project, passing through the territory of all three states. "The agreement will create important opportunities in terms of continuous, timely, and efficient transportation of cargo through the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which connects the Trans-European and Trans-Asian railway corridors; customs procedures will be simplified by organizing the electronic exchange of initial information about goods, and border crossing processes will be accelerated," mentioned in the document. Speaking at the meeting of the Trilateral Committee on Customs Issues, the heads of the delegations emphasized the importance of cooperation in the customs field in the easy and fast implementation of regional and international trade. They said the agreement would contribute to the more efficient establishment of activities in this direction.
Rufat Bayramov, the National Secretary for Azerbaijan of the Intergovernmental Commission of the Europe-Caucasus-Asia Transport Corridor (TRACECA), stated that after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, many cargoes on the northern routes had already moved to the east-west route, i.e., the Europe-Caucasus-Asia corridor. "Cargo and rail transport have increased through our corridor. China-Europe rail transport has seen the most growth in container traffic. This year alone, 70 block trains were sent on the China-Europe route. This is a historical indicator. We expect this increase to increase to 100-150 thousand containers soon. We expect the growth to reach 300,000 containers by 2030," he added. According to Rufat Bayramov, adaptation work continues at customs and border crossing points along the transport corridor in China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey. "But it should be considered that the legal system of TRACECA countries is different. For example, Central Asian countries are included in the Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Union. Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey joined the NSTS system (Common Transit Regime) applied in European countries. At the same time, we conduct certain studies and give recommendations. For example, we have proposed the creation of electronic queues at the borders. Azerbaijan has already started applying it to its borders," he noted.
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