Azerbaijan to launch trial cargo shipments using electronic consignment notes with Russia and Turkey by end of 2026

BAKU. Sept 8 (Interfax) - The first trial cargo shipment from Azerbaijan to Russia and Turkey using an electronic consignment note (e-CMR) will be completed by the end of 2026, Azerbaijan International Road Carriers Association (ABADA) CEO Kanan Gurbanov said at the fifth Black and Caspian Freight Forum 2026 in Baku on Tuesday. Gurbanov was quoted as saying by news agency Report that Azerbaijan and several other countries had joined the protocol on electronic consignment notes (e-CMR). "At the moment, we are working intensively with two key partners - Turkey and Russia. We expect the first trial shipment using the e-CMR to have been completed by the end of 2026 already. This is namely one of the most important documents in the field of international road cargo shipments," he said. He said that the first pilot shipment using the e-TIR digital system had been successfully completed last month. "This is an international document within the Customs Convention, and the first transit operation via e-TIR was carried out on the route between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. At the next stage, which we are now working on, we plan to launch the same shipments via e-TIR with Turkey," Gurbanov said.