BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 7. The possibilities
of signing a memorandum of understanding and cooperation, which
will determine the main directions of joint activities between the
Alat Free Economic Zone (AFEZ) of Azerbaijan and the
Europe-Caucasus-Asia Transport Corridor (TRACECA), have been
discussed.


This was announced by AFEZ, following a meeting between Valeh
Alasgarov, Chairman of the Board of the AFEZ, and Jasurbek
Choriyev, Secretary General of TRACECA.


During the meeting, the prospects for establishing practical
cooperation between TRACECA and the AFEZ Authority were
discussed.


Special attention was paid to the establishment and regular
implementation of information exchange on the types and nature of
cargo transported along the TRACECA route.


Following the meeting, the parties confirmed that they share
similar approaches to the development of the region's transport and
logistics potential.


The Alat Free Economic Zone is located near the Baku
International Sea Trade Port, at the intersection of the
international East-West and North-South transport corridors. The
approved master plan of the zone covers an area of ​​719 hectares.
In total, approximately 6,500 hectares of land have been allocated
for the development of the Alat Free Economic Zone, of which more
than 1,000 hectares are intended for future expansion.


Currently, a 5-hectare logistics center with an annual
processing capacity of 500 thousand tons of cargo transported by
road is operating in the zone. The center also has access to
railway infrastructure.


At present, the construction of a new international airport is
underway. It's planned to commission the airport's cargo and
business terminals no later than the first quarter of 2027. At the
initial stage, the terminal's annual cargo handling capacity is
expected to be 500 thousand tons, and at a later stage - 1.5
million tons.


The location of the AFEZ on transport corridors also expands its
development prospects as a regional logistics and production
center.







This has been recently announced by Valeh Alasgarov, chairman of
the Alat Free Economic Zone (AFEZ), in an exclusive interview with
Trend.


According to him, the geographical location of Azerbaijan
creates a significant advantage for the Free Economic Zone in terms
of access to various transport routes.


"The Alat Free Economic Zone is adjacent to the Baku
International Sea Trade Port and is located at the intersection of
international transport corridors such as North-South and
East-West. This creates the opportunity for investors to use both
sea, rail and road transport," said Alasgarov.


He noted that the expansion of transport connections creates
additional opportunities for export-oriented production enterprises
operating in the Free Economic Zone.


"After the Zangezur corridor is opened, of course, this will
create new opportunities for us to transport any cargo. The new
route will shorten the distance of transportation and accelerate
it, and further reduce transportation costs," the chairman
emphasized.


According to Alasgarov, in this regard, the integration of the
Free Economic Zone into various international transport routes can
expand the logistical capabilities of both investors and production
enterprises.


He also noted that the establishment of export-oriented
enterprises is given priority in the Alat Free Economic Zone.
Currently, various projects are being implemented in the zone by
companies from Türkiye, China, Israel, European countries, and
local Azerbaijani companies.


It's expected that new projects related to the establishment of
large industrial enterprises in the Alat Free Economic Zone will be
announced soon. It is reported that these projects will further
increase the investment attractiveness of the Alat Free Economic
Zone and give impetus to the expansion of export-oriented
production.