BAKU, Azerbaijan - Azerbaijan and Laos agreed to expand economic and transport cooperation, including work on a possible connection between Lao railways and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.
The plans were announced after President Ilham Aliyev met Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith in Baku on October 13, according to Vesti Baku. The leaders adopted a joint statement and oversaw the exchange of signed documents.
Aliyev said political relations were developing successfully but trade remained below its potential. Azerbaijan is prepared to consider specific projects that Laos presents to Azerbaijani investors, he said.
A planned Azerbaijan–Laos business forum in Baku is expected to focus on identifying investment opportunities and expanding bilateral trade.
Rail Link Could Join Middle Corridor
Aliyev said rail projects connecting Laos with neighboring countries could eventually provide access to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor. The route links Asia and Europe through Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.
Azerbaijan has completed its main domestic transport and logistics projects and is now working to increase freight traffic, Aliyev said in a joint press statement reported by AZERTAC.
Education and Mine Clearance
Baku also proposed reviving an education program for Lao citizens. More than 2,000 Lao students and specialists studied in Azerbaijan during the Soviet period, and scholarships could be used to restart the program.
Aliyev said both countries face the legacy of land mines and proposed exchanging expertise and new technology. He repeated Azerbaijan’s estimate that more than 1 million mines were planted by Armenian forces on Azerbaijani territory; the figure was presented as the Azerbaijani government’s assessment.
Sisoulith said the documents signed in Baku would provide a basis for broader cooperation and supported the return of the education program.
Sources: Vesti Baku; AZERTAC; APA.