According to the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan, the signed protocol on the formation of the route “Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Iran – Turkey” provides for the organization of cargo transportation from the countries of the Asia-Pacific region to the countries of the European Union, application of competitive tariff rates and creation of favorable conditions for the transportation of goods by railways of four countries.

The agreement also provides for the joint development of measures to unify legal and technical standards when organizing cargo transportation along the route and increasing transport connectivity of the countries participating in the route.

The heads of the transport departments of the four countries held talks within the framework of a ministerial meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), held in Tashkent on November 2. A protocol for establishing the cargo transportation route was signed.

To a wider extent, the document provides for the organization of cargo transit between Asia-Pacific region countries and European Union member states along the corridor.

The four countries at the meeting backed the application of competitive tariff rates and favorable conditions for rail transit. In addition, the parties are to work together on unifying regulatory and technical standards.

Under Uzbekistan’s 2030 Strategy, Tashkent is committed to further integration into international transport and logistics networks.

Uzbekistan is also backing the creation of a multimodal transport corridor running from Russia to Kyrgyzstan via a route that crosses the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan and Uzbek territory.

Importantly for the three Central Asian countries on the route, the corridor would allow for trade flows to and from Russia—and also to and from Europe via Russia—without the necessity of using road and rail links that reach the Russian border through Kazakhstan. Kyrgyzstan in particular regularly complains about gridlocked traffic at its border with Kazakhstan as Kazakh officials fail to process lines of cargo-laden trucks at the pace that Bishkek expects.

SD/PR