Turkey's Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat discussed the prospects of the Zangezur corridor in an interview with the "Analiz" newspaper.
Modern.az-ın məlumatına görə, the minister also spoke about Turkey's strategic priorities in the fields of trade and logistics.
O. Bolat noted that Turkey views its position as a logistics bridge located at the crossroads of three continents not only as a geographical advantage but also as a global economic advantage.
The minister stated that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the Marmara Bridge, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the Kars-Istanbul-Europe routes, the Zangezur corridor, and the “Development Roads” projects are important infrastructure steps taken by Turkey to strengthen and develop its position in global trade.
Bolat stated that the Zangezur corridor will connect the country with the Turkic world and Central Asia.
He added that the Zangezur corridor is not only a strategic vision but also a trade necessity.
He also emphasized that after the opening of the Zangezur corridor, the distance between Turkey and Azerbaijan will decrease by up to 400 km. According to Ömer Bolat, the Zangezur corridor will reduce the transit time between China and Europe by 5-7 days and costs by 15-20%.
"Although geopolitical competition is difficult to overcome, the attractiveness of trade potential is strong enough to surmount these obstacles. In the long term, the Zangezur corridor will transform into a peace project and foster regional trust.
“The “Development Roads” and Zangezur corridor projects are regarded not only for multimodal transport but also as strategic energy and communication corridors", the minister added.
O. Bolat emphasized that these projects connect oil and gas pipelines, fiber-optic infrastructure, and power lines, and that Turkey is progressing towards becoming not only a logistics hub but also a production and energy center.
