On January 10, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was interviewed by local TV …
Day: January 10, 2024
AP: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Tuesday that officials at the Arctic penal colony where he is serving a 19-year sentence have isolated him in a tiny punishment cell over a minor infraction, the latest step designed to ramp up pressure on President Vladimir Putin‘s fiercest political foe.
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Baku/10.01.24/Turan: There is a certain regression in Azerbaijan’s peace treaty proposals. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said this at a press conference in Yerevan on Wednesday.
“We see a certain regression in Azerbaijan’s proposals on some points of the text, but also certain progress in a number of other directions,”…
Ferry cargo from Armenia to Russia via Georgia
Armenia has stopped ferrying cargo to Russia via Georgia, Armenian Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan said.
According to him, the ferry crossing, which was supposed to become an alternative to the Upper Lars checkpoint and allow to deliver Armenian cargoes to Russia via Georgia, was open for several months, but did not arouse sufficient interest among exporters and importers. Armenia and its partners decided to suspend the program.
According to Kerobyan, Russia remains Armenia’s largest trade partner, but its share in total trade turnover has decreased. According to him, the United Arab Emirates, China, Georgia and the United States occupy the next places in the list, and Yerevan is working on diversification of exports.
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Background
Armenian media published information about the beginning of cargo transport by sea and the use of the Batumi-Novorossiysk-Batumi route in May last year.
David Iloyan, Director of C&M INTERNATIONAL Transport Company, told “Armenpress” that Yerevan has been looking for an alternative to transportation of cargoes from Russia to Armenia via Upper Lars for a long time, and in April of this year the Batumi-Novorossiysk-Batumi route has been launched. The company carries out cargo transport by sea with subsidization by the Armenian government.
“Our vessel can accommodate 350 containers. On April 18, we made our first successful shipment, and we are planning one regular weekly voyage from Novorossiysk to Batumi and back. As demand increases, we will be able to increase the number of shipments two to four times. Now the most important thing is to carry out regular, stable transportation once a week,” Iloyan said.
Shipments were interrupted last November. Armenian Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan named the reasons for the delay in launching the ferry crossing from Georgia to Russia and said that the Poti port operator company strictly monitors compliance with the sanctions imposed by the EU and the US against Russia. According to Kerobyan, the company did not answer how long it would take to decide whether or not to let certain cargo through or not.
Later, the Maritime Transportation Agency of Georgia issued a statement saying that information spread by Armenian media “does ot correspond to reality.”
According to the agency, the Palau-flagged vessel made two commercial voyages between Novorossiysk and Batumi in April. The statement emphasizes that this is not a regular voyage, but is of a fully commercial in nature and carried out systematically.
“The Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia, in coordination with the Revenue Service under the Ministry of Finance, constantly checks both vessels and shipowners for compliance with international sanctions. Accordingly, if a ship or a ship owner is on the sanctions list, they are not allowed to enter Georgian ports and conduct relevant procedures.”
Ferry cargo from Armenia to Russia via Georgia
Kazakhstan is working to develop its section of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor), according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting Trend.
According to official figures, 2.5 million tons of goods were transshipped through the seaports of Aktau and Kuryk along the TITR route in 11 months of 2023, a 107 percent increase over the previous year.
In 2023, Kazakh oil was carried along the Middle Corridor for the first time.
Simultaneously, in order to develop the line, the railway administrations of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia signed component articles in October 2023 to establish a single operator of logistical services. In addition, the countries, in collaboration with Turkey, are trying to remove bottlenecks on the road at the same time.
The subject of having a “single window” for transportation via TITR is being examined in order to improve logistics services. The digital transportation corridor’s complete launch is scheduled for 2024.
In addition, in October 2023, Kazakhstan signed agreements on the development of the Middle Corridor with China, which provide for increasing export-import and transit transportation, China’s assistance in financing port infrastructure projects, the development of multimodal transport along the TITR, etc.
Moreover, in order to reduce the delivery time of goods by road to the ports of Aktau and Kuryk, Kazakhstan plans to build a 515-km-long Shalkar-Beyneu highway. A feasibility study is currently being developed.
The implementation of measures to develop the route will allow it to increase its throughput capacity to 10 million tons per year by 2027.
The Middle Corridor is a transportation and trade route that connects Asia and Europe, passing through several countries in the region. It is an alternative route to the traditional Northern Corridor and Southern Corridor.
The route starts in China and crosses Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then passes through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye before reaching Europe.
The Middle Corridor offers a land route that connects the eastern parts of Asia, including China, with Europe, bypassing the longer maritime routes.
The post Fresh look at Kazakhstan’s pushes to develop Middle Corridor in 2023 appeared first on Azerbaijan In Focus.
Ammunition has been found in Azerbaijan’s Khankendi, said the Ministry of Internal Affairs, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting Trend.
The ministry said that the police found and seized 11 grenades, 17 automatic weapons of different brands, two pistols, 10 rifles, 12 grenade igniters, 84 cartridge combs, two cartridge cases, 12 bayonet knives, 6,635 cartridges of different caliber, and other ammunition during actions carried out on January 9 in the territory of Khankendi city.
Following the liberation of its lands, Azerbaijan from Nov. 2020 started carrying out operations on clearing its lands from mines, booby traps, and various weapons left behind by the Armenian troops.
The post Police seize ammunition in Azerbaijan’s Khankendi appeared first on Azerbaijan In Focus.