Despite not having direct access to the world’s oceans, Azerbaijan has managed to become a large-scale international transport hub by making proper use of its geographical location.
“Elchi” reports that President Ilham Aliyev stated this during his speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Annual Meetings of the Islamic Development Bank Group held in Baku.
Stating that large-scale investments have been made in infrastructure, the head of state emphasized that the main focus was directed not only at domestic but also at international-scale projects:
“We tried to use our geography as a foundation for building strong transport infrastructure. Because geography, of course, is important. But if infrastructure is not added to it, it does not make much sense.”
The President noted that the East-West and North-South corridors passing through Azerbaijan today provide very important supply routes for an increasing number of countries:
“Geographical location can be a headache or an advantage depending on the agenda. In our case, it is indeed an advantage not only for us but for many more countries. The corridors passing through Azerbaijan create a kind of connected and coordinated transport artery for many countries. Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done, and this is one of our priorities.”