In September 1998, at a historic summit in Baku, Azerbaijan Republic, 12 TRACECA countries signed the "Basic Multilateral Agreement on International Transport for Development Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (MLA) in order to take full advantage of its geopolitical and economic opportunities.

MLA became a logical continuation of inter-regional program of the European Union's TRACECA and at the same time the only legal basis for its effective implementation. After the signing of this Agreement and the establishment of the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) and its TRACECA Permanent Secretariat have new legal framework for the development and implementation of international transit traffic at a better level.