BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Azerbaijan is
expected to expand the practice of exchanging electronic permits
with a number of countries by the end of the year, Secretary
General of the Azerbaijan International Road Carriers Association
(ABADA) Kenan Gurbanov said, Trend’s correspondent reports from the event.


He made the remarks on the sidelines of the 5th International
Freight Transport Forum in the Black Sea and Caspian regions —
2026, held in Baku.


According to Gurbanov, significant progress has been made this
year in the digitalization of the Middle Corridor. “Azerbaijan has
played a leading role as the driving force of this corridor. The
country already exchanges electronic permits with Türkiye, Georgia,
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The system has been
established and is already operational. At the same time, work is
continuing with other countries,” he said.


Gurbanov noted that Azerbaijan is expected to begin exchanging
electronic permits with several more countries by the end of the
year. The ABADA secretary general also highlighted ongoing efforts
to transition to the electronic consignment note system e-CMR. “As
we know, Azerbaijan was among the first countries to join the
convention on electronic CMR. Currently, work is underway with the
Ministries of Justice of Russia and Azerbaijan. I believe that,
according to current forecasts, the first shipment using electronic
CMR will take place by the end of the year. The transition to e-CMR
is of great importance for road transport,” he said.


Gurbanov also announced the first shipment carried out using the
electronic TIR system. “Last month, the first shipment under e-TIR
was carried out. This is a customs convention document between
Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. At the next stage, the first e-TIR
shipment between Azerbaijan and Türkiye is planned. The transition
of three key transport documents — electronic permits, e-CMR and
e-TIR — to digital formats will reduce the use of paper
documentation in freight transport,” he noted.







Commenting on the obstacles preventing a complete transition to
digital procedures, Gurbanov said that the Middle Corridor is a
chain whose efficiency depends on every link. He noted that each
country has its own infrastructure and electronic systems, and
their integration requires time. According to him, pilot projects
have already demonstrated positive results.


Gurbanov emphasized that the first TIR shipment between
Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, as well as the shipment between
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, were successfully completed. He added
that the next steps will focus on developing electronic transport
procedures with Türkiye, Georgia and other countries.


Gurbanov also expressed hope that the e-CMR system will become
fully operational by the end of the year. “If it also starts
operating by the end of the year, this will provide a major boost
to the development of the Middle Corridor. Improving transport
volumes, quality and speed is also linked to the transition to
electronic document management. It is very important to move to
digital documentation so that trucks and vehicles do not remain at
borders waiting for paperwork to be processed in other countries,”
he said.