MONITORING RESPONSE TO COVID-19 ALONG THE REGIONAL TRANSPORT NETWORKS

COUNTRY PROFILE: AZERBAIJAN1,2

General information Part of the Asian Highway Network Yes Part of the Trans-Asian Railway Network No Part to the Dry Ports Network Yes

Sector Policy measures Sources GENERAL ON In order to prevent the spread of the disease, entry and exit to/from the Republic of 18 April 2020 FREIGHT were banned from 5 April 2020 to 20 April 2020. On 18 April 2020 the https://cabmin.gov.az/az/art TRANSPORT ban was extended till 4 May 2020. On 29 May the ban was extended to 15 June icle/813/ 2020. On 9 June 2020 the restrictions on entry and exit were extended until 1 July 2020. The ban doesn’t include freight transport in all transport modes. 29 May 2020 https://cabmin.gov.az/az/art icle/868/

09 June 2020 https://cabmin.gov.az/az/art icle/886/ Fast and smooth movement of goods required for COVID-19 treatment has a special 28 March 2020 priority http://www.wcoomd.org/- /media/wco/public/global/pd f/topics/facilitation/activities- and-programmes/natural- disaster/covid_19/best- practices_azerbaijan_en.pd f?la=en

1 DISCLAIMER: the following overview of the transport-related measures has been prepared by the secretariat based on the information collected from official governmental sources and specialized press. Even if is continuously updated, due to the fluidity of the situation, it may not reflect the latest status of the measures. If you would like to share your first-hand information on the current situation, your submissions are welcome. While they may not be directly reflected in the country profiles, they will form the basis for our policy analysis and advice to the Governments concerned. 2 12 June 2020 MONITORING RESPONSE TO COVID-19 ALONG THE REGIONAL TRANSPORT NETWORKS

Goods that are imported from the Islamic Republic of or through their territory 28 March 2020 by trucks are transshipped to the Republic of Azerbaijani trucks at terminals, close http://www.wcoomd.org/- to customs border crossing points; /media/wco/public/global/pd f/topics/facilitation/activities- and-programmes/natural- disaster/covid_19/best- practices_azerbaijan_en.pd f?la=en

Freight vehicles arriving in Azerbaijan from Iran, where the virus is widespread, after 20 March2020 several stages of disinfection are sent to a special terminal on the territory adjacent http://www.traceca- to the border. Cargo in the terminal is unloaded into vehicles with registration marks org.org/kg/countries/iran/ne of Azerbaijan and sent to the destination. The movement of trucks from Iran, ws- following in transit through Azerbaijan, is accompanied by the state road police of detail/n/urgent_azerbaijan_r the country. The drivers of these vehicles have the opportunity to rest and eat in egime_of_cargo_transporta specially isolated areas. Cargo vehicles arriving in Azerbaijan from other countries, tion_in_terms_of_covid_19 INTERNATIONAL after disinfection at the border, are sent to their destinations. _pandemics/ ROAD TRANSPORT All border-crossing points (with Iran, Russia, and ) are open for 09 April 2020 freight road transport. https://www.itf- Accompanied (police escort) freight vehicles from Iran and from Alat port, heading oecd.org/sites/default/files/d in the Georgia direction, are allowed to cross the borders of Azerbaijan. ocs/az-measures-iru_1.pdf According to the order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, free food and rest places are provided for international truck drivers.

Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, regular passenger rail transport between 31 March 20 INTERNATIONAL the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation have been suspended by https://cabmin.gov.az/az/art RAIL TRANSPORT mutual consent. The Samur border checkpoint along the land border of the two icle/782/ countries operates in a restrictive mode and within a certain schedule for the mutual reception of citizens. During the pandemic, cargo transportation in Baku-Tbilisi-Kars was not interrupted. 17 April 2020 The product range is metals, manufactured goods, food, and cereals. Cargo https://report.az/ru/infrastru transportation along the corridor is carried out in the same order in both directions. ktura/v-period-pandemii- As of April 10 this year, container transportation in the 20-foot equivalent by BTK gruzoperevozki-po-btk-ne- increased by 44% year-on-year. So, in the first 100 days of last year, 1,266 prerivalis/ containers in a 20-foot equivalent were transported along the route, and in the first 100 days of 2020, 2,148 containers. After the stabilization of the epidemiological situation, the volume of cargo transportation on BTK this year is expected to grow by 50% compared to last year. Due to restrictions imposed by the Government of Azerbaijan, until 4 May 2020, 19 April 2020 passenger trains Baku – Tbilisi – Baku (to the station Boyuk-Kesik), Baku – Boyuk- MONITORING RESPONSE TO COVID-19 ALONG THE REGIONAL TRANSPORT NETWORKS

Kesik – Baku, Baku – Kocharli – Balaken – Baku, Baku – Astara – Horadiz – Baku https://ady.az/ru/news/read/ and Baku – Ganja – Baku will not run. Restrictions on domestic and international 1774/43 passenger traffic will remain in effect until the following decisions. SHIPPING Sea transportation (including transshipment of trucks and containers) is open and 08 April 2020 (INTERNATIONAL) continues with certain restrictions in neighboring countries ( and https://www.itf- ): oecd.org/sites/default/files/d Only Turkmen truck drivers can use Turkmen vessels heading to their country. Also, ocs/az-measures-covid- single trailers and semi-trailers will be allowed to load Turkmen vessels. All drivers 19.pdf are required to undergo testing in the port of Baku, in the quarantine zone before loading. Only drivers with negative test results can enter Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Test results are provided within 6-8 hours. In the Baku port, truck drivers are waiting for the vessel in the allocated clean areas and provided with food. Azerbaijan has taken additional measures for the transit of goods. One of such 13 April 2020 measures in the framework of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan is https://ady.az/ru/news/read/ the launch of a feeder vessel between the ports of Baku and Turkmenbashi. The 1772/43 Balkan vessel, designed to transport goods to Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, will provide services once a week. If the volume of transported goods increases, the ship will be used twice a week. AVIATION Azerbaijan continues to accept cargo flights. The world's largest An-225 Mriya 19 April 2020 (INTERNATIONAL) aircraft landed in Baku, performed its second flight from China to Europe to deliver https://az.sputniknews.ru/te medical supplies as part of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. ch/20200419/423697611/A eroport-Baku-prinyal- samyy-bolshoy-v-mire- samolet---video.html The procedure for organizing air travel for the pandemic period was developed and 11 June 2020 approved, the conditions of which were adjusted to meet the requirements of other https://az.sputniknews.ru/az host countries. They will be applied when international flights resume. erbaijan/20200611/424175 694/novye-pravila- aviaperevozok.html