Rail freight volumes between China and Azerbaijan for the first 11 months of 2023 increased by 47 per cent compared to the same period last year. This rise can be linked to massive increases in both imports and exports and an improvement in multimodal services in Azerbaijan, according to Rovshan Rustamov, Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways.
Rustamov made these statements during a meeting with the Head of the Delegation of China Railways Huang Xin, as various Azerbaijani media mentioned. Chinese exports to Azerbaijan increased by 549 per cent, while Azerbaijani exports to China grew by 331 per cent, he said. At the meeting, the parties also discussed further developments for the Middle Corridor.
The Chinese delegation recently visited the port of Batumi, in Georgia, always with a focus on the Middle Corridor. The infrastructure connecting China to Europe bypassing Russia seems to be attracting more interest in recent months. At the end of October, the railway companies of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan launched the first Middle Corridor joint venture. A month before that, Austrian company Rail Cargo Group added various Central Asian destinations to its network along the Middle Corridor.
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