Turkish Trade Ministry prioritises streamlining transit routes with Azerbaijan and Georgia

“Cutting delays at border checkpoints, streamlining customs clearance, and building the necessary infrastructure to adopt international standards across Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are top priorities for Ankara,” Turkey’s Deputy Trade Minister Sezai Uçarmak has announced.

Speaking to reporters at the 5th meeting of the Tripartite Customs Committee between the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, Uçarmak highlighted the pivotal role all three nations play in international transit trade, good-neighbourly relations, and East-West commercial corridors.

He noted that major investments are being funnelled into road, rail, and maritime transport infrastructure across the three countries.

“We can see this clearly. Whenever I visit Georgia, I observe the ongoing road developments, and we see similar infrastructure progress in Azerbaijan,” Uçarmak said.

“Crucially, consumption sits in the West, while production is based in the East, creating substantial freight and cargo flows across this route. However, along the Middle Corridor in our region, overall transit capacity remains relatively low.

If we further upgrade infrastructure, simplify border procedures, and integrate all processes into a single, harmonised system, we are confident transit volumes will surge.

This is not just about logistics; it will also trigger fresh inward investment. Freight trade operates on a simple principle: you cannot generate real economic value merely by shifting goods from point A to point B without integrated trade ecosystems,” he added.