“I really highly appreciate the excellent leadership that Azerbaijan has played over the past year. And during today’s session, the excellent presentation made by Rahman Humbatov, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport, as well as the one made by his colleague, that really renewed my recognition about the possibility and potential of the Middle Corridor, not to mention Azerbaijan, in the middle, for that region as well as for our Eastern Asian and European markets and as well as the world economy as a whole,” Hirohisa Tsuruta, Deputy Minister for Policy of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, told AZERTAC.

Sharing his impressions on the special session on the theme of “The Middle Corridor: A Strategic Investment in Resilient, Competitive and Future-Ready Eurasian Connectivity” held as part of the Annual Summit of the International Transport Forum (ITF) held in Leipzig, Germany, the Japanese deputy minister added: “I think that Azerbaijan is located on the crossroads of the East-Western and North-South corridors, so it's a crucial existence. And I really welcome your efforts to move forward towards the peace. The stability of the region is crucially important for the Middle Corridor to function.”