“This was a day we had all been eagerly anticipating. The Baku–Tbilisi–Kars project did not begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2017; its origins lie in the vision of Heydar Aliyev, the national leader of Azerbaijan, who already understood that Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey were destined to be strategic partners,” Rashad Nabiyev, Minister of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan, stated at the inauguration of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway line.

Speaking at the ceremony, Nabiyev described the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars project as a natural continuation of the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline initiative.

“Azerbaijan’s national leader foresaw the future of this project, and over the past thirty years we have witnessed just how right Heydar Aliyev was. In 2017, representatives of Georgia and Azerbaijan came together and set the first stages of this project in motion. Friendship and strategic partnership are essential to the realisation and future of an undertaking of this kind, and Azerbaijan has fulfilled every one of those requirements to the fullest. This was never merely a working process; it was a profoundly significant step forward in the field of freight transportation.

Today, Baku–Tbilisi–Kars stands as one of the most competitive transit corridors in the region. Just a few days ago, an agreement was signed between the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze. Every project that has been realised between our countries would, of course, have been impossible without the direct and personal involvement of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Finally, I too would like to echo my colleague’s sentiments and express my gratitude to all those who contributed to bringing this project to fruition, and in particular to my dear friend, Minister Kvrivishvili. I have every confidence that this project will bring our nations ever closer together,” said Nabiyev.