OMM Redaksiyası
Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye have signed a new customs protocol aimed at speeding up freight transport on the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK) railway. The document seeks to reduce delays at borders and make transit procedures more efficient.
The protocol was signed after the fifth meeting of the customs authorities of the three countries, held on Sept. 28 in Azerbaijan’s city of Goygol. The agreement comes as investments in the regional trade route are being directed toward increasing freight volumes.
What does the protocol cover?
One of the main provisions of the document is the expansion of electronic data exchange. This will allow customs services to receive information about cargo before a train reaches the border.
Another area is joint risk management. The mechanism will enable customs officials to focus on higher-risk cargo instead of inspecting all shipments in the same manner.
The protocol also provides for faster border-crossing procedures, particularly more efficient transit on the BTK railway. The agreement complements an earlier document on the exchange of advance information for rail transit.
The full text of the new protocol, as well as its implementation schedule and specific targets, has not been disclosed.
Heads of customs authorities take part
Shahin Bagirov, chairman of Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee; Sezai Uçarmak, Türkiye’s deputy trade minister; and Mamuka Baratashvili, head of Georgia’s Revenue Service, led the delegations.
The sides also reviewed work carried out to fulfill previous commitments, including the harmonization of transit procedures and efforts to combat customs violations.
Alongside the trilateral meeting, the sixth bilateral meeting of the customs committees of Azerbaijan and Türkiye was held, and a separate protocol was signed. The document covers information exchange, joint measures against customs violations, the “authorized economic operators” mechanism for using simplified procedures, and verification of reciprocal statistical data. Joint operations and training were also discussed.
Freight volumes on the Middle Corridor remain low
Sezai Uçarmak said that although significant investments had been made in road, rail and maritime infrastructure in the three countries, transit volumes along the Middle Corridor remained “quite low.”
According to him, infrastructure development alone is not enough to increase freight transport. Simpler procedures, shorter waiting times at border-crossing points and the harmonization of processes within a unified system could help boost shipments.
Uçarmak stressed that processing cargo during transit, rather than simply transporting it, could generate additional revenue and attract investors. He called Azerbaijan an important “bridge” on the East–West corridor and noted the importance of facilitating Caspian Sea crossings linking Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
Capacity of the BTK railway
The Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway connects Azerbaijan with Türkiye via Georgia. The railway is 827 kilometers long, 213 kilometers of which run through Georgia. The line has operated in test mode since 2017.
The official opening of the BTK railway was held in June at Georgia’s Akhalkalaki station. Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, as well as the transport ministers of Türkiye and Azerbaijan, attended the ceremony.
According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, following modernization work, the line’s annual freight capacity increased from 1 million tons to 5 million tons.
The Goygol protocol is aimed at regulating the customs aspects of this expansion. Against the backdrop of the upgraded railway and increased transport capacity, faster, digital and more predictable border procedures are expected to increase freight volumes.
