Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, speaking at the ceremony on official launch of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, said that this railway line is a historical project of strategic significance.
He noted that this festive ceremony is attended by guests from fraternal and friendly countries, welcoming Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kazakh Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov and a number of other high-ranking officials.
Ilham Aliyev stressed that his proves significance of the project, noting that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line is a historical project.
"The BTK is the shortest and most reliable route connecting Europe with Asia. It’s planned to carry 5 million tonnes of cargo in the first stage, 17 million tonnes in the next stage. BTK becomes a significant part of Eurasia’s transport line. This route will serve stability, security, increase of investments and development of tourism," he said.
The head of state noted that BTK is a result of fraternity, friendship of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia: "These countries constitute significant projects for regional and world countries".
