Against the background of Turkish-Russian tensions,Turkey has agreed
with former Soviet republics on a project envisaging the delivery of goods to
Europe, bypassing Russia, according to Lenta.ru.
The first
several thousand containers may be sent via a new railway line Baku-Tbilisi-Kars
as early as next year.
Major
logistics companies from China, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey
signed late November a document on establishing a consortium for the
transportation of goods from China to Europe, bypassing the Russian territory.
The project founders are China's Minsheng Logistics, Georgia's Trans Caucasus
Terminals (TCT), Kazakhstan's KTZ Express (part of the Kazakhstan Railways),
Azerbaijan's Karvan Logistics and Caspian Shipping Company. Turkey will act as
an associated party.
The agreement
was signed at the height of the crisis in Russian-Turkish relations following
the downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber by the Turkish Air Force.
The idea to
create a transport corridor from China to Europe, bypassing Russia (primarily,
the Trans-Siberian Railway) is actually not new. The former Soviet republics
have been seeking alternative routes for the transit of goods from Asia to the
EU since the breakup of the Soviet Union. In particular, an agreement on the
development of Europe - Caucasus - Asia corridor (TRACECA program with 13
participating states) was signed in 1998. The construction of a 826km long
railway line Baku - Tbilisi - Kars, a key railway for the Trans-Caspian route,
started eight years ago (the commissioning is scheduled for 2016).
It is
planned that next year the Trans-Caspian transport corridor will deliver a few
thousand containers from China to Turkey and the EU.
Ukraine can
also join the project, delivering Asian goods through its territory to Northern
and Eastern Europe.
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