Azerbaijan and China are exploring expanded cooperation to increase the number of container block trains traversing the Middle Corridor, a vital East-West freight route linking China with Europe via Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
The initiative was discussed at the Transport Logistic 2025 exhibition currently underway in Munich, where Azerbaijan Railways (AZD), a subsidiary of AZCON Holding, is actively participating.
AZD Chairman Rovshan Rustamov held key meetings with transport industry leaders, including Yang Bin, President of China Railway Container Transport Corporation (CRCT), to review ways to deepen bilateral rail logistics cooperation. Discussions centered on agreements reached during President Ilham Aliyev’s April visit to China, which emphasized support for the Belt and Road Initiative and promoted multimodal international transport through Azerbaijan.
Among the focal points was the integration of CRCT into Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd., a trilateral venture by railway authorities of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, aimed at streamlining cargo flow along the corridor. Officials also reviewed plans for a digital tracking platform that would monitor cargo moving westward from China to the Black Sea, enhancing visibility and efficiency across the route.
Rustamov also met with Wangsu Dong, Executive Director of Beijing Trans Eurasia International Logistics, to examine proposals for scaling up round-trip block train shipments between China and Europe. Discussions highlighted the importance of increasing freight volumes and improving transit times on the corridor in the near term.
Further engagements at the exhibition involved strategic talks with European port operators and logistics firms, including Burgas Port (Bulgaria) CEO Boris Balev, and HHLA International GmbH, the German logistics group operating at Hamburg Port. These meetings focused on enhancing regional port interconnectivity and strengthening the Middle Corridor’s position as a viable alternative to northern and southern transport routes.
Additional sessions with leaders from Germany’s Rhenus Group and Austria’s ÖBB Rail Cargo Group, a subsidiary of Austrian Railways, explored potential joint initiatives to optimize freight flow across Azerbaijan as part of the larger China–Europe–China trade link.
Throughout the event, Azerbaijani officials emphasized the country's growing role as a key transit hub in East–West trade, citing the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway and other infrastructure investments as central to boosting the corridor’s reliability and appeal to global shippers.
The meetings in Munich reflect sustained momentum in developing the Middle Corridor as a competitive and geopolitically stable alternative for Eurasian freight transit, amid ongoing disruptions affecting other major trade routes.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday voiced deep concern over the escalating tensions following the United States’ military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, calling on all sides to prioritize diplomacy over confrontation.
The Pentagon concluded a high-stakes press briefing Saturday afternoon following the U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, outlining the scale and success of the mission while stressing the door remains open to diplomacy.
Türkiye has voiced strong concern following the United States’ strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, warning that the action could dangerously escalate the conflict and trigger a global crisis.
Global investors are bracing for significant market turmoil when trading reopens, with analysts predicting a sharp spike in oil prices and a flight to safe-haven assets following the United States' announcement of military strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iran’s top diplomat on Sunday issued a stark condemnation of the United States following overnight military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, declaring that Washington had crossed a "very big red line" and would be held "fully responsible" for the consequences.
Gulf states hosting major U.S. military bases were placed on high alert Sunday after American airstrikes destroyed Iran’s main nuclear sites, raising fears of regional retaliation and a broader conflict that could engulf key energy exporters and destabilise global security.
Senior Russian officials have condemned the United States’ recent military strikes on Iran, warning of a spiralling regional conflict and accusing U.S. President Donald Trump of igniting a "new war" that could backfire by strengthening Iran's leadership.
The United States has clarified that its recent military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities were not intended to overthrow the Iranian government, but to neutralise what it described as urgent threats to national security, amid rising tensions and fears of broader regional conflict.
Iran's top security body, the SNSC, will decide on closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil and gas chokepoint, after parliament's reported approval. A Revolutionary Guards commander stated the measure is "on the agenda," signaling escalating tensions.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday voiced deep concern over the escalating tensions following the United States’ military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, calling on all sides to prioritize diplomacy over confrontation.
Iranian missiles struck multiple locations across Israel and neighbouring regions early Friday morning, including a Microsoft office complex, according to emergency responders and local media reports.
A high-speed tram derailment in central Gothenburg, Sweden, has left at least eight people injured late on Thursday (19 June), after the vehicle slammed into a snack bar on Avenyn Avenue.
China has unveiled a mosquito-sized bionic drone designed for covert military operations and battlefield reconnaissance, marking a major advance in micro-robotics and stealth technology as part of the country’s growing focus on next-generation warfare capabilities.
The 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit was held June 15–17 in Kananaskis, Alberta, under Canada’s presidency. Prime Minister Mark Carney framed the meeting around priorities of protecting communities, energy and climate security, the digital transition, and future partnerships.
The USS Nimitz is heading to the Middle East amid tensions between Israel and Iran. The U.S. aircraft carrier has a decades-long history in the region, from the 1979 hostage crisis to modern deployments, often serving as a key asset during periods of rising friction with Iran.
Gulf states hosting major U.S. military bases were placed on high alert Sunday after American airstrikes destroyed Iran’s main nuclear sites, raising fears of regional retaliation and a broader conflict that could engulf key energy exporters and destabilise global security.
Iran's top security body, the SNSC, will decide on closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil and gas chokepoint, after parliament's reported approval. A Revolutionary Guards commander stated the measure is "on the agenda," signaling escalating tensions.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday voiced deep concern over the escalating tensions following the United States’ military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, calling on all sides to prioritize diplomacy over confrontation.
Türkiye has voiced strong concern following the United States’ strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, warning that the action could dangerously escalate the conflict and trigger a global crisis.
Iran’s top diplomat on Sunday issued a stark condemnation of the United States following overnight military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, declaring that Washington had crossed a "very big red line" and would be held "fully responsible" for the consequences.
Gulf states hosting major U.S. military bases were placed on high alert Sunday after American airstrikes destroyed Iran’s main nuclear sites, raising fears of regional retaliation and a broader conflict that could engulf key energy exporters and destabilise global security.
Senior Russian officials have condemned the United States’ recent military strikes on Iran, warning of a spiralling regional conflict and accusing U.S. President Donald Trump of igniting a "new war" that could backfire by strengthening Iran's leadership.
The United States has clarified that its recent military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities were not intended to overthrow the Iranian government, but to neutralise what it described as urgent threats to national security, amid rising tensions and fears of broader regional conflict.
Iran's top security body, the SNSC, will decide on closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil and gas chokepoint, after parliament's reported approval. A Revolutionary Guards commander stated the measure is "on the agenda," signaling escalating tensions.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday voiced deep concern over the escalating tensions following the United States’ military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, calling on all sides to prioritize diplomacy over confrontation.
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