Baku: In a pivotal meeting held in Baku, Rovshan Rustamov, Chairman of ‘Azerbaijan Railways’ CJSC (ADY), and Lasha Abashidze, the newly appointed General Director of ‘Georgian Railway’ JSC, discussed avenues to expand cooperation between Azerbaijan Railways and Georgian Railways. The collaboration aims to enhance the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway line, a significant part of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the discussions highlighted the strategic importance of modernizing the Georgian segment of the railway and increasing its operational efficiency. The meeting focused on attracting new freight volumes, with the corridor’s annual capacity recently increased to 5 million tons. Both sides emphasized the need for reinforcing the joint venture ‘BTKI Railways’ LLC to facilitate more efficient cargo operations.
The progress on the bilateral roadmap signed in June 2025 was also reviewed, noting the active engagement between Azerbaijani and Georgian railway experts. This collaboration aims to align operational workflows and optimize cross-border coordination. The parties agreed that dedicated working groups and regular consultations would further enhance cooperation and ensure the efficient management of freight flows along the East-West-East axis.
Furthermore, the meeting addressed digitalization initiatives slated for implementation by the end of the year. These include the introduction of a paperless documentation system and the deployment of a ‘Track and Trace’ cargo monitoring platform, which are expected to streamline operations across the Middle Corridor.