Azernews.Az

Sabina Mammadli

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The official ceremony of commissioning the "Khanoba" customs post located on the Azerbaijan-Russia border has been held on March 17, Azernews reports.

Azerbaijani and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Alexey Overchuk, as well as Chairman of the Government of Russia’s Dagestan Republic Abdulmuslim Abdulmuslimov and other officials, attended the ceremony.

Answering the questions on the sidelines of the ceremony, the Azerbaijani official stated that the issue of opening the land borders of Azerbaijan with neighboring countries is under the jurisdiction of the Operational Headquarters and the appropriate decision will be made depending on the epidemiological situation.

"I cannot name specific dates, but depending on the epidemiological situation, the Operational Headquarters will make appropriate decisions," Mustafayev added.

Besides, he informed that Azerbaijan and Russia have agreed to synchronize customs procedures

"The transport sector plays a huge role in fostering cooperation between our countries. Azerbaijan is committed to the Baku Declaration, signed in September last year. As part of it, the country is implementing projects aimed at increasing the capacity of border points. Also, work is underway to build roads and bridges," he said.

Then, Mustafayev added that within a month, the construction of a four-lane automobile road with a length of 24 kilometers between the border points of Samur and Khanoba will be completed. He also noted that a highway from Baku to the border with Russia is also being built, which is expected to be completed within two months.

"Today we see an increase in trade with Russia and work to expand transport projects between Azerbaijan and Russia is very important. We are ready to continue cooperation with Russia," he added.

Talking about the established custom point, Mustafayev stressed that the border crossing will also expand the transit possibilities of Azerbaijan and significantly increase cargo flows from the North to the South.

"The government of Azerbaijan gives priority to the development of the country's transport and logistics capabilities. Also, this sector is a priority in terms of socioeconomic development. The Khanoba border checkpoint is equipped with modern facilities and technologies, which will significantly reduce the border crossing time," he said.

Moreover, Chairman of the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee Shahin Baghirov said that work will be carried out to improve infrastructure capabilities at the border points of Azerbaijan with Georgia, noting that work on the design of reconstruction work is already underway.

He noted that the Khanoba checkpoint has 3 entrances for trucks and cars, and 2 entrances for buses.

“Its territory is 7 hectares; 4.6 hectares are equipped with terminals and warehouses. In addition, the Khanoba checkpoint is equipped with the most modern means of checking cargo," he added.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk said that the newly opened border point will ensure smooth and efficient transit of goods from India and Pakistan via Iran and Azerbaijan to Russia.

"This will be the most important transport highway of the 21st century, and in fact today the first element of this highway has been put into operation," he said.

The commissioning of the customs post is expected to allow for the passage of a thousand additional trucks per day. The decision to reconstruct the Khanoba customs post was made in order to reduce the throughput of the Samur customs post.

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