Abstract:
This paper examines the possible impacts of Belt and Road Initiative which
initiated by China to Azerbaijan economy, trade as well as seaport development.
Azerbaijan is located in the Central Eurasia and it is a gateway between Asia
and Europe. An important location of Azerbaijan requires development of
transportation infrastructure in order to promote its trade and economic growth.
Azerbaijan economy is mostly depending on oil and gas sector; therefore,
development of non-oil sector has been priority recent years. In order to develop
these sectors Azerbaijan created one of the biggest sea ports in the Caspian Sea
cost named Baku International Sea Trade Port. Development of sea port will
bring more value and benefits to Azerbaijani economy and trade, especially
when BRI project will be fully operational. China is one of the main trade
partners of Azerbaijan, therefore such kind of cooperation is very important in
order to expand markets and promote trade. Moreover the location of
Azerbaijan gives it more opportunities to become logistic hub in the Central
Eurasia. On the other hand Azerbaijan is landlocked country and Caspian Sea
has not direct access to international waters, therefore these kind of natural
obstacles delay development of such kind of sectors. Under the BRI project
access to international waters, as well asglobal market will be more easy and
effective for Azerbaijan