The Eastern Black Sea Exporters Union (DKİB) wants to get a greater share of the trade, which is expected to be concentrated in the Caucasus, Middle East and Far East in the coming period, with the Trabzon Logistics center they want to be established in Trabzon.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), DKİB Board Chairman Ahmet Hamdi Gürdoğan said that the Eastern Black Sea region is strategically located in terms of logistics and foreign trade.
Expressing that they want to make the Eastern Black Sea a hub between Asia and Europe by reviving the historical Silk Road, Gürdoğan said, “Today, world trade is concentrated in Asia. In the future, with the mobilization of the rich underground resources in the Caucasus, Central Asia and Asia region, world trade will be intensified in these regions. Developed countries are already positioning themselves according to this situation and rapidly developing their logistics infrastructure ”.
Turkey also stressed the need to make ready the infrastructure logistics centers Gurdogan, said:
“That is why we have made calls for the Batumi-Hopa railway, which we have been trying to implement since 1998. The Eastern Black Sea serves as a bridge in trade between Asia and Europe. However, the ports in the Eastern Black Sea are operating with idle capacity due to the lack of railway connection to international networks.
We want to get more share from the trade that will intensify in Asia in the coming periods, and therefore to be among the actors that direct this trade. For this purpose, we are working to establish the Hopa-Batum railway network and return the Eastern Black Sea to the historical Silk Road mission and establish a logistics center in our region that will provide regular cargo flow to Asia. ”
"Eastern Black Sea is logistically attractive"
Emphasizing that the Eastern Black Sea has become logistically attractive, Gürdoğan continued as follows:
“It is important that the Kazbeği-Verhni Lars border gate, which provides transit to the Russian Federation via Georgia, has been opened. In addition to Adler Port, which is used for freight transportation, Sochi Port is likely to be reopened to freight traffic after 2014. Due to being a transit route to the Asian region, the political uncertainty and risks in the Middle East region, and the negativities that may occur in Iran and the Middle East in the coming years, transit passages to Central Asia and the Turkic Republics through these countries become risky. The possibility of these crossings to divert from Georgia-Russia via the Eastern Black Sea and Makhachkala on the Caspian coast to Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan by ferry, and this route extending to China and India by road makes our region attractive.
Noting that a logistic center should be established in the Eastern Black Sea region and the Hopa-Batum railway connection should be implemented quickly, Gürdoğan said:
“Thanks to this center to be established in the Eastern Black Sea Region, it is possible to transfer the cargo coming to the countries in the Russian Federation and its hinterland via Europe and the raw materials that will go to European countries from these countries. Because it is located 975 kilometers from the Caspian Sea by the Eastern Black Sea road. It is an important advantage that the region is much closer to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan than other lines. "
Ahmet Hamdi Gürdoğan emphasized the importance of the proximity of the Eastern Black Sea to the Middle East and said:
“It seems possible that the transit freight flow of Middle East-Europe and Middle East-Central Asia will be carried out through the logistics center planned to be established in Trabzon. Trabzon Port and the ports in our other regions are of strategic importance for Northern Iraq, where western companies are currently investing heavily. The opening of the Ovit Tunnel will also make the use of this line more attractive. "
Source: Logistics Line
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