"The Road to Tien Shan": International Conference on the Development and Strengthening of Cooperation in the Road Transport Sector

The high-ranking representatives from Central Asian government agencies, the European Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, TRACECA, ESCAP, the International Center for Transport Diplomacy, international financial institutions, the private sector and civil society participated in the International Conference.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan Mr. Kohir Rasulzoda addressed the participants of the event with a welcoming speech, and the further leadership of the conference was carried out by the Minister of Transport of the Republic of Tajikistan Mr. Azim Ibrohim.

During the conference, three thematic sessions were held on interregional transport corridors and multimodal transport, road infrastructure development and safety improvement, as well as the development of transport links between landlocked countries and Asian seaports.

As part of his speech, the Secretary General of the PS IGC TRACECA, Mr. Asset Assavbayev, noted that the PS IGC TRACECA is actively working to improve the routes of the TRACECA corridor, harmonize legal norms, introduce new transport mechanisms and digitalize border crossing procedures. He emphasized that these efforts are important for the development of interregional transport corridors and multimodal transport.

The Secretary General also drew attention to the importance of harmonizing the capacity of the border transport infrastructure and implementing joint forecasting of traffic flows to ensure the smooth movement of goods.

"Despite the attempts being made, there is still fragmentation of efforts in the region, which is also complicated by the activities of international unions and associations. For example, if we talk about the requirements for the mass and dimensions of cargo vehicles, it can be noted that they differ from country to country, including depending on their membership in certain unions, which generally leads to underloading of cargo vehicles or the necessity to pay appropriate fees for exceeding acceptable parameters" – Mr. A.A. Assavbayev noted.

At the end of his welcoming speech, he expressed confidence that the International Conference "The Road to Tien Shan" will contribute to increasing connectivity in the region.

In addition, during the visit to the Republic of Tajikistan, an exchange of views took place between the Secretary General and Deputy Minister Ms. Saidmurodzoda Shoista and Director of the Civil Aviation Agency under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan Mr. Nazarzoda Habibullo Temur. The discussion at the meeting focused on important aspects of cooperation between TRACECA and the government authorities of Tajikistan in the road transport and civil aviation.