BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Azerbaijan has
opportunities to attract private capital for the development of the
Middle Corridor, the Senior Investment Officer at the International
Finance Corporation (IFC), Andriy Maksymovych said, Trend‘s correspondent reports
from the event.
Maksymovych made the statement during the 5th International
Conference and Exhibition, Black and Caspian Freight Forum 2026 in
Baku.
According to him, Azerbaijan is one of the key hubs of the
Middle Corridor, and opportunities for private-sector participation
depend, among other things, on the implementation of necessary
supporting investments and coordination measures: “I believe there
are ample opportunities for participation, provided that many
supporting investments and measures are implemented in terms of
soft coordination, and that the private sector assumes the risks.
Private-sector investments in logistics infrastructure in the
region were already underway even before the Middle Corridor gained
its current significance.
We’ve been talking about the Middle Corridor for the past five
to seven years, and it’s clear that since 2022, it has gained
greater significance, momentum, and support. But people have been
investing and continue to successfully manage their assets.”
As an example, Maksymovych cited a logistics center in Georgia,
in which, according to him, investments were made more than 15
years ago.
He also noted that there are major private investments,
particularly in the Port of Poti: “This port is entirely managed by
the private sector—specifically, by one of the largest port
operators, APM Terminals. It is also one of the few fully
privatized ports in APM Terminals’ portfolio, as most ports are
primarily operated by the private sector on a concession basis,”
Maksymovych said.
According to him, private terminals also operate in the Port of
Baku, and the freight forwarding and logistics sector is largely
concentrated in the private sector.
“It is very rare for these enterprises to be run by state-owned
companies. Representatives of two major companies, the organizers
of this interesting event, spoke here today, as did many other
companies in Azerbaijan operating in the freight forwarding sector
that are successfully carrying out their activities,” he noted.
Maksymovych emphasized that to attract private capital, it is
important for the government to create favorable conditions and to
determine which investments should be made by the public sector and
which by the private sector.
“It is important to find the right balance between what the
public sector should invest in and what the private sector can
invest in,” he said.
According to him, it is also important to structure such
projects properly so that the government receives an appropriate
return on its investment in areas where the private sector can
invest.
Maksymovych stressed the importance of proper risk allocation
when structuring such projects: “It is important that risks be
properly allocated.”
As an example of a public-private partnership in Azerbaijan, he
cited the project to build a desalination plant in Sumgait.
“This is the first public-private partnership project in
Azerbaijan. I would like to thank the government for creating
favorable conditions and enacting legislation on public-private
partnerships several years ago, as well as for implementing this
project through a public-private partnership,” he said.
