Forbes: Baku port game-changer in heart of Silk Road

Reminding that the port sits at the crossroads of the two significant transport corridors that pass east-west from Kazakhstan to Europe and north-south from Russia to Iran, Forbes said the port covers 20 square kilometers and it will consist of a multifaceted port surrounded by a free trade zone in the future.

"The strategy is that the port and industrial zone will work in symbiotic relationship similar to that in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) in Dubai,” said Forbes. "Eventually, it is hoped that the port will handle 25 million tons of bulk cargo and around one million container shipments per year.”

According to the story, the new port is an ambitious program of economic diversification.