Russian Railways Logistics and Turkish logistics operator Pacific Eurasia Logistics have agreed to establish a joint venture to develop logistics routes for cargo supply via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, Caspian News reports.
Officials from the state railway services of Azerbaijan, Russia and Turkey signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding on Monday in Ankara, in order to leverage the potential of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway in regional cargo supplies. The deal will grant Russia’s eastern ports access to the BTK.
The sides agreed that the joint venture is established with the purpose of the further development of transport and logistics activity and trade between Russia and Turkey. The main tasks of JV will be the use of a cargo base in Russia and Turkey for cargo transportation along the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and rendering a wide range of logistics services to the customers.
“Special and sometimes even unique competences are required to successfully cope with the tasks of the logistics operator on the international transport corridors, and our company does possess such competences,” said Eduard Alyrzaev, First Deputy Director General of the Russian Railways Logistics company.
“For a long time, we have been developing and improving the efficiency of ‘East-West’ and ‘North-South’ international transport corridors, as well as working to launch and promote the new Vietnam-Russia-Vietnam and Japan-Europe international transport corridors,” he added.
“We are ready to share our knowledge and skills with our Turkish colleagues while establishing a joint venture in future,” Alyrzaev said. “This knowledge and skills will be useful for servicing such a promising route as Baku-Tbilisi Kars railway.”
