Speech by Ilham Aliyev at the opening of Baku International Sea Trade Port Complex

It is a very significant day in the life of our country today. The Baku International trade Seaport is being put into operation. I sincerely congratulate you and all the Azerbaijani people on this remarkable occasion. I am sure that the new Baku Port will play an important part in enhancing the transport potential of our country.

I made the decision on the construction of this port several years ago. I knew and saw that Azerbaijan would have a huge transport and transit potential and that our country would develop fast. The adoption of such a decision showed the foresight and thoughtfulness of our policy again.

Construction work began. We divided it into stages. A ferry terminal was commissioned in 2014, a Ro-Ro terminal at the beginning of this year, so the port is fully ready for operation. The port, with a cargo handling capacity of 15 million tons, including a container handling capacity of 100,000 containers, will certainly play an important part in strengthening our transport infrastructure. The next stage is expected to increase the cargo handling capacity to 25 million tons. Places for that are already available. Today's presentation also outlined plans related to the expansion of the port. The number of containers is expected to reach 500,000 per year.

Local and foreign specialists and workers took part in the construction of the port. I want to express my gratitude for the work done. I personally supervised the work related to the construction of the port. I am glad that the highest standards are applied here. All the equipment, the necessary technical facilities and the most modern cranes have been purchased and installed here. We have thus created a powerful transport and logistical center in Azerbaijan.

The choice of Alat is not accidental either because the existing Baku seaport no longer meets our needs. It is located in the center of the city and its capacity to receive growing volumes of cargo is very limited. Alat is a very favorable place geographically. The routes originating from here both in the western and southern directions, including automobile roads and railways, have, of course, played a major role in the choice of this place. Of course, the development of Alat will also largely be associated with the logistical and transport infrastructure being created here. If we add to this the fact that we will start the creation of the Alat Free Economic Zone in the near future, it would be perfectly legitimate to say that this territory of the city of Baku will develop rapidly and numerous jobs will be created here. Therefore, Alat will certainly secure an important place in the development of the economic and transport potential of our country.

The commissioning of the Baku International Trade Seaport suggests that we have completed all the tasks related to the creation of transport infrastructure. A lot of work has been done in this direction to date. We have the largest fleet in the Caspian Sea – more than 260 vessels. According to the information provided to me, an additional 18 ships have been purchased over the past few years. A shipyard has been built in Baku on my initiative. We can produce and are producing all types of vessels and have therefore eliminated the dependence on foreign partners.

Over the last 15 years, a total of 15,000 kilometers of highways have been built in our country. Roads leading to our borders with all the neighboring states, intercity and rural roads have been put into operation. In other words, this infrastructure has also been created. Over these years, seven airports have been built, including six international ones. Azerbaijan possesses the most modern aircraft fleet. Recently, Heydar Aliyev International Airport has recently received a five-star status. I want to inform you that there are only nine airports possessing a five-star status in the world, one of which is Heydar Aliyev airport.

We are modernizing our railway infrastructure, upgrading the existing railways and building new tracks to increase the speed. Locomotives and wagons are being purchased. It was on this territory that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway was commissioned in October last year. It was a historic project. Azerbaijan, the initiator of this project, allocated major funds for its implementation. We have linked Baku with Europe by railway. In fact, Azerbaijan has linked Asia with Europe. This transport corridor will bring us large profits for many years. It will bring huge benefits to our people. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is a historic project. As a result of the successful implementation of this project, Azerbaijan will further strengthen its position in the region.

We are currently creating the North-South transport corridor and have already completed all the necessary work on our territory. Thus, the roads leading from north to south and from east to west are passing and will pass through Azerbaijan. We have allocated additional funds for the completion of the North-South transport corridor. I am sure that this railway will be put into operation in the next few years. Thus, Azerbaijan, a country that does not have access to the world ocean, will become a transport and logistical center in Eurasia. We already see this and are performing this function.

Our work could be considered complete. But we must look and are looking to the future. We are currently working on launching the South-West transport corridor. This is also a very important transport corridor. I am told that the first test train has already passed along this way. Thus, by creating major transport infrastructure, we are multiplying the geopolitical and geo-economic significance of Azerbaijan. At the same time, these projects are expanding and strengthening international cooperation. If we look at the number and strength of the countries involved in the East-West and North-South transport corridors, we can see that this is a large-scale format of international cooperation indeed. The East-West transport corridor links China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and further European countries. The North-South transport corridor connects Pakistan, India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, and countries of Northern Europe. The South-West corridor links countries in an even wider format. Azerbaijan is a country involved in all these projects. We have invested great effort in implementing these projects. Important political steps have been taken. In other words, we have consistently focused on these projects. Finally, we are seeing the result.

I want to say again that the implementation of these projects will bring us not only economic benefits, although we will certainly improve our economic situation further by making the most efficient use of our transport potential. These projects significantly increase the geopolitical importance of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan will continue its activities as an irreplaceable country for regional cooperation in Eurasia. We are already treated with great respect and sympathy in the world. Azerbaijan is recognized as a very reliable partner and capable country. Our growing economic power allows us the opportunity to carry out such historic projects. The construction of the Baku International trade Seaport is one of the important projects funded from the state budget of Azerbaijan, and this day will go down in our history as an important and memorable day.

I want to salute everyone who took part in the construction of the port again and express my gratitude to you. I wish you continued success in your future activities. I congratulate you and all the Azerbaijani people on this remarkable event again. Thank you.