EU drawing up list of projects with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey - European commissioner

BAKU. Feb 16 (Interfax) - The European Union is drawing up a list of projects with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey to determine priority areas for cooperation, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said.

The world is witnessing significant changes in the South Caucasus, and this would not have been possible without peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Kos said. This has also opened up many opportunities for Europe, and for example, the EU is now drawing up a list of projects with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, Kos said at a panel discussion on the topic "The Policy of Open Corridors: Deepening Trans-Caspian Cooperation" in Munich on Saturday.

The EU, together with Azerbaijan, is discussing the start of preparing a feasibility study for the development of railways in Nakhchivan, she said. This is of great interest to the EU and to international financial institutions. Together with Nakhchivan, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project could radically change the situation, she said.

Kos emphasized that the projects being implemented in the region are creating a foundation for attracting private investors.

Competition between transport projects is useful because it stimulates the acceleration of project implementation, she said. The EU sees 2030 as a benchmark. Addressing Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who participated in the panel discussion and whom she described as a man of action, Kos said that, although she did not yet know how the EU would manage to implement everything within such a timeframe, she believed it is possible.

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (the Middle Corridor) could triple cargo levels, cut transit time in half, and provide tens of millions in savings annually by 2030. This is also one of the most attractive factors for business, Kos said.