OREANDA-NEWS. The Ministry of Transport of Azerbaijani reports that the study tour will be organized on 23-28 November.

“It will cover such German cities as Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, and Grossbern. The study tour will involve Ali Gasimov, the head of the transport policy division of the Ministry’s Department of Transport Policy & Economy,” it was informed.

International experience of creation and operation of international logistics centers is being studied and transferred within the Project.

Assessment of establishment of international logistics centers in the countries will be conducted in TRACECA member countries.

In Azerbaijan it was chosen a direction of assessment of establishment of such a centre in new Baku sea international commercial port to be located in Alat settlement. Technical part will be fulfilled within the frames of the project, but then development of investment project, depending on the government’s decisions, will be required.

Creation of the center is estimated approximately at AZN 100-150 and the government has to make a decision on its establishment, to prepare investment project, define scheme of financing and realization.

On 7 July 2009 in Baku a round table took place on issues of logistics centers, within the frames of which the presentation of introductory report of Project of Logistics Centers for Western CIS and Caucasus was conducted. The event involved specialists of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Customs Committee, Azerbaijan State Railway Company (ADDY), State Maritime Administration, Baku International Sea Trade Port, Asian Development Bank.

The European Commission-sponsored project for research and creation of transport logistics centers in TRACECA member countries is aimed at increasing efficiency of Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA) transport corridor. The project is aimed at feasibility study of the logistics centers under the most contemporary standards, including warehouses, transport, commercial and domestic infrastructure.

At the same time the project does not set a goal of investing in creation of the centers. This should be the task for member states’ governments disbursing budget funds or raising private investments. By the present a transport logistics centre has been established only in Georgia, but its efficiency is comparatively not great.

Within the project it will be prepared an optimal option of logistics centers chain, made proposals for creation of their full infrastructure (warehouses, information systems, etc) and raising of investments. On the basis of the project recommendations the TRACECA participating states will be able to transfer to creation of centers.

Duration of the EU new technical project will be 24 months.

Within a year the European Commission finances four or five technical projects aimed at TRACECA development.