The main part of the work in Azerbaijan on the "Zangezur Corridor" will be completed next year, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at the third meeting of the Supreme Interstate Council of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, Azerbaijani media report. Touching upon the implementation of transport projects, Aliyev noted that the work on the "Zangezur Corridor" is actively underway.

According to him, the Azerbaijani section of this project is planned to be completed in 2027. H e said that the railway of the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan is "conceptually considered as part of the Azerbaijani railway."

In this regard, Baku intends to create an international consortium with the participation of companies and states interested in investing in the project, receiving profits, and ensuring a guaranteed amount of cargo transportation along this route.

"For your information, I would like to say that work is also underway in Armenia, our American partners regularly inform us about it. And, as far as we were told, construction will begin in the territory of Armenia either at the end of this year or at the beginning of next year. But the length there is only 42 kilometers, while in the territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic—194.

Yes, that is why we have started the work, and we will carry it out in any case. But taking into account that we know that there is interest from various companies, I just wanted to inform that if you wish, there is an opportunity to participate in the planned consortium, too," Aliyev said. Earlier, the Azerbaijani president had announced that the initial capacity of the so-called "Zangezur Corridor" is planned at the level of 15 million tons of cargo per year.