Transportation Monitor Worldwide
November 24, 2018 Saturday


Azerbaijan isolates Armenia from all transport projects in region



Azerbaijan has isolated Armenia from all transport projects being
implemented in the region, Azerbaijani Economy Minister Shahin
Mustafayev said.

Mustafayev made the remarks at a press conference in Baku on Nov. 23
dedicated to Azerbaijans transport and transit potential.

The minister stressed that a number of transport corridors pass
through Azerbaijan.

First of all, it the East-West corridor, which consists of three
routes, is worth mentioning, Mustafayev said. It starts in China and
passes through Kazakhstan, and then Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey via
the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. The second route passes through
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.
The third route passes through Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan,
Georgia and Turkey [this route is also called Lapis Lazuli].

The second transport corridor is North-South transport corridor, he
said. The corridor starts in Northern Europe and passes through
Azerbaijan, Iran, the countries of the Persian Gulf and also covers
the Asian countries.

"Azerbaijan equally cooperates with all neighboring countries in this
area, except Armenia, the minister said. This is one of the main
directions of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs policy."

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result
of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent
of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven
surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions
on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding districts. 2018 Global Data Point.