Uzbekistan can participate in shipbuilding projects together with Azerbaijan

Uzbekistan is keen on establishing a presence for its own ships in the Caspian Sea. Bekzod Kholmatov, the Director of the Center for the Study of Transport and Logistics Development Problems under the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan, discussed this in an interview with the Azerbaijani news agency "Report.az."

Bekzod Kholmatov expressed that having Uzbek ships in the Caspian Sea would contribute to an increased volume of cargo transportation along the Trans-Caspian route.

"Uzbekistan is also interested in engaging in shipbuilding projects in collaboration with Azerbaijan. Tashkent is prepared to cooperate with other countries in this area," Kholmatov stated.

He mentioned that Uzbekistan is currently in the process of constructing its own terminal at the port of Baku.

Additionally, the Deputy Minister of Transport noted that Uzbek importers are looking forward to cooperating with the port of Baku and are considering leasing the terminal for mineral fertilizers on a long-term basis or investing in its establishment. He clarified that this matter is presently under investigation, with technical and economic feasibility studies being conducted.

For context, Uzbekistan is one of the world's two "double-locked countries," meaning that reaching oceans requires crossing the borders of at least two nations. Nonetheless, in 2022, the volume of export-import cargo transportation from Uzbekistan through the port of Baku totaled 904 thousand tons, marking a 65% increase compared to 2021. Notably, the transportation of food cargo, including raw sugar, mineral fertilizers, and containers, witnessed growth.

It's worth mentioning that last month, Azerbaijan extended an offer to Uzbekistan to lease the infrastructure of the Baku sea port under preferential terms.