AZE.US
Transit cargo through Azerbaijan rose 10% in the first half of 2026 to nearly 8 million tons, while the government is targeting 15 million tons of annual freight on each of the East-West and North-South corridors.
President Ilham Aliyev announced the figures Oct. 9 at a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Turkmenbashi, according to Sputnik Azerbaijan.
Aliyev said Azerbaijan had built modern transport and logistics infrastructure largely from scratch and was continuing to strengthen its position as one of the region’s key transit hubs.
Two Corridors, One New Target
The 15 million-ton target applies separately to the East-West and North-South routes. Reaching that level would significantly increase the volume of freight moving through Azerbaijan in both directions.
Authorities link the growth to investment in railways, port infrastructure and multimodal routes across the Caspian Sea. Together, the networks are designed to carry cargo between Europe and Asia, as well as between northern markets, Iran and South Asia.
Azerbaijan to Chair the CIS in 2028
The summit also announced that Uzbekistan will assume the CIS chairmanship in 2027, followed by Azerbaijan in 2028. It would be Baku’s first turn chairing the organization since Azerbaijan regained independence.
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan currently form the organization’s chairmanship troika. Aliyev said Baku was ready to take on the role and described Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan relations as a strategic partnership. The Azerbaijani presidency published the official summit schedule and meeting record.
AZE.US