The Baku–Tbilisi–Kars Railway, which connects Azerbaijan and Georgia with Turkey, has been officially opened. The opening ceremony took place at the Akhalkalaki Railway-Logistics Complex, near the Turkish border.

The event was attended by senior officials from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Armenia, as well as guests from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Speeches were delivered by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Mariam Kvrivishvili, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev, and Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.

After the speeches, a symbolic commissioning ceremony of the BTK railway was held.

The Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway line is a strategic transport project jointly implemented by Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey. After the modernization of the Georgian section, the line’s capacity increased from 1 million to 5 million tons per year.

According to experts, the full-scale launch of the railway will increase the capacity of the Middle Corridor, boost freight flows from China and Central Asia to Europe, and strengthen the region’s role as a transit hub.