A joint study by the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Institute and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has highly praised the infrastructure and institutional reforms implemented by Azerbaijan in its transport and logistics sector.
Sea-news.az reports that the study emphasizes the necessity of transitioning from fragmented IT systems to a unified national digital ecosystem to enhance the competitiveness of the Middle Corridor (TITR).
The report highlights that launching a platform operating on a “single window” principle must be accelerated. This automated system should integrate the resources of the Baku Port, Azerbaijan Railways (ADY), Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Closed Joint-Stock Company (ASCO), the State Customs Committee, and the State Border Service.
Furthermore, recommendations include aligning legislation with the European Union’s eFTI standards, fully implementing electronic waybills such as e-CMR (for road transport) and e-SMGS (for rail transport), as well as adopting the UN multimodal reference data model (UN/CEFACT MMT RDM). A continuous satellite and digital tracking system for cargo and containers along the TITR must be established, alongside ensuring the mutual recognition of electronic digital signatures (via a trusted third-party mechanism) with Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and the EU.
According to experts, creating a “digital twin” of the Azerbaijani section of the Middle Corridor will minimize physical customs inspections and paperwork, reducing border-crossing times by two to three times. This will play a decisive role in attracting the growing freight traffic between Asia and Europe to the Trans-Caspian route.
