The World Bank is interested in expanding cooperation with ADY

Rovshan Rustamov, Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY), a company within AZCON Holding, met with a delegation led by Charles Cormier, Infrastructure Director for the Europe and Central Asia region of the World Bank (WB).

During the meeting, the current state of cooperation between ADY and the World Bank and the importance of expanding this partnership were discussed. The parties exchanged views on the World Bank’s potential involvement in the works related to the second phase of the Baku International Sea Port, including the provision of technical assistance and the possibility of investment.

The Chairman of ADY noted that freight traffic along the Middle Corridor, particularly container transportation, has increased in recent years, and that positive dynamics in cargo transportation on the China–Azerbaijan route were recorded in 2025. Last year, 392 block trains were received, which is 37 percent more compared to 2024. These results were positively influenced by the measures implemented by ADY, including the involvement of China Railway Container Transport Corp. Ltd. (CRCT) in the joint venture Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd, established by the railway authorities of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia to develop the Middle Corridor.

It was also noted that the integration of the Baku International Sea Port into ADY last year played an important role in increasing the efficiency of international transportation. In 2025, a record volume of more than 107,000 TEU of container cargo was handled at the Port of Baku, representing a 40 percent increase compared to 2024.

Charles Cormier, the World Bank’s regional director, emphasized the WB’s interest in deepening cooperation with ADY and noted that the work carried out by ADY to develop the Middle Corridor opens up new opportunities for future partnership.