Azerbaijan upgrades logistics to boost trade routes
Azerbaijan is rapidly modernizing its logistics and transport infrastructure to cement its role as a key hub on major international trade routes.
The country is upgrading ports, railways, and highways to strengthen its position as a central link in global transit corridors, News.Az reports, citing Japan’s Nikkei.
According to Nikkei, Baku has accelerated development across its maritime, rail, and road networks, reflecting its ambition to become a pivotal transit point connecting China, Central Asia, and beyond. The upgrades are part of a broader strategy to enhance trade efficiency and regional connectivity.
A Nikkei reporter visited the Baku International Sea Port in late 2025 and noted the facility’s expanding capacity. Around 40% of inbound container cargo arrives from China, ranging from cars to clothing, while most of the remainder comes from Central Asian countries. Exports moving in the opposite direction currently consist mainly of fuels and related products.
The port handled more than 107,000 TEU in 2025, more than double its 2020 volume. Azerbaijan plans to increase its annual handling capacity to 25 million tons and 500,000 TEU by the end of 2028.
President Ilham Aliyev has highlighted China’s growing role in regional transport flows and expects cargo from China and Central Asia to eventually move via the Zangezur corridor.
To support this shift, Azerbaijan is expanding its main port and accelerating construction and modernization works along the Trans-Caspian route, including roughly 1,200 km of rail and highway infrastructure.
Presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev told Nikkei that Baku aims to make the South Caucasus a zone of geopolitical cooperation rather than confrontation.
The publication also referenced the proposed TRIPP (“Trump Route”) project, which would enable cargo to move from Azerbaijan’s southern border through Armenia, into Nakhchivan, and onward to Türkiye once operational.
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