“Azerbaijan has been able to convert geographic limitations into opportunities thanks to the implemented initiatives,” said Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis as she addressed the Parliamentary Forum held on the margins of the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3) in Awaza, Turkmenistan.

According to her, Azerbaijan has invested billions of dollars over the past years in the transport infrastructure including the Baku International Sea Trade Port in Alat and construction of the new highways and railroads. Situated on the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor and the North-South Corridor, Azerbaijan today has become one of the key transport and logistical hubs in Eurasia.

She further added that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the cornerstone of the Middle Corridor, indicates Azerbaijan’s clear commitment to strengthen regional ties.

The Speaker emphasized that the currently underway ‘Digital Silk Way’ project, a web of fibre-optic cables laid across the Caspian seabed, would contribute to digital infrastructure progress and digital security efforts.

She also informed the participants about another key initiative namely, the green energy development and transmission cooperation between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.