Azerbaijan has become a key actor in the Eurasian transport network and it also plays an important role in the implementation of the Chinese “One Belt One Road” initiative, to which Hungary also attaches great importance, Deputy State Secretary of Hungary Zsolt Csutora told Trend. He noted that currently, an agreement “On the International Transport of Passengers and Goods by Road” between the Hungarian and Azerbaijani governments is under preparation.
Azerbaijan and Hungary have good opportunities to cooperate in transportation, within the East-West transport corridor as well. Already a number of test container trains, going from China to Europe, have passed through Azerbaijan’s territory, and it is expected that this corridor will play an important role in connecting the West and East on the Eurasian continent. Touching upon Baku-Budapest air links, Csutora noted that the number of visas issued has significantly increased since the Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air resumed operating the direct flight between the two capitals.
“In addition to tourism, the flight also has a beneficial impact on the business, cultural and people-to-people exchanges between our countries,” he said. According to Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee, trade turnover with Hungary amounted to about $20 million in January-July 2017. The “One Belt, One Road” initiative is aimed at improving existing and creating new trade routes, as well as transport and economic corridors, linking more than 60 countries of Central Asia, Europe and Africa, which will contribute to the development of their trade relations with China.
