Minister: Russia discussing creation of end-to-end logistics services with Azerbaijan

Russia is working to create end-to-end logistics services with Azerbaijan and Iran to develop the North-South International Transport Corridor, Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin said in an interview with Izvestia newspaper.

"<...>Work is underway to create end-to-end logistics services and reach agreements with the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran, both bilaterally and trilaterally," the minister said.

According to him, to develop the North-South International Transport Corridor, Russia is negotiating memorandums of understanding in the area of ​​transport and transit with Afghanistan, India, Qatar, Kenya, the UAE, Oman, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.

Nikitin noted that the signing of such memorandums will ultimately simplify the transportation of goods along the route, making it cheaper and faster.

To increase supply volumes, there are also plans to shift freight traffic from road to rail along the western branch of the North-South Corridor.

"We are working on reducing congestion at road checkpoints, shifting some freight traffic to rail, jointly implementing infrastructure projects, accelerating customs clearance, and streamlining procedures-in particular, the 'green corridor' and 'simplified customs corridor' projects," Nikitin explained.

The minister noted that, compared to the Suez Canal, transit times along the North-South International Transport Corridor are almost halved: from 35-45 days to 15-20 days.

He added that by 2025, approximately 21.5 million tons of freight had been transported along this transport corridor, representing a five-year growth rate of 39%.