III International Transport and Logistics Forum “New – Silk Way”. Astana Economic Forum 2015

Mr. Mircea Ciopraga, TRACECA Secretary General during Astana Economic Forum (AEF);

Speakers of the Plenary Session during AEF

On 21-22 May 2015, Mr. Mircea Ciopraga participated in the Astana Economic Forum – important platform for strengthening international cooperation, including, the sphere of transport and transit.

For over several years the Forum has been convening representatives of state authorized structures, international organizations, financial institutions and business to define development vectors of transport cooperation and implementation of transport logistics projects, improvement of transport corridors and routes in the regions of Europe, the Caucasus and Asia. Business leaders, policy officials, journalists, scientists, and Nobel Prize laureates gather at the AEF to cooperate in the field of economic development, infrastructure modernization and globalization.  

Main points of the Agenda, such as business opportunities in the Eurasian Economic Union, innovative solutions to finance sustainable development and the role of private sector in it, further infrastructure projects and economic collaboration as well as role of interstate cooperation in development of the international transport corridors were discussed during the Forum.

The agenda also focused on the challenges of ensuring balanced global economic growth: volatility on commodities markets, perspectives of sustainable development, incentives for global competitiveness, increasing role of innovations and technologies, fragile financial systems, regional and country risks etc.

Within the Session “New Silk Way – the economic integration of East and West” Mr. Mircea Ciopraga, Secretary General of the PS IGC TRACECA addressed the speech. In view of the cargo generating potential of the countries attached to the region, Mr. Ciopraga mentioned that the main activity of TRACECA is directed towards creation of attractive conditions for all participants of the transport process (transport companies, forwarding agents, carriers) based on the well-thought and effective transport policy of all involved countries, open access to the market. In addition, he mentioned that at the moment Within the corridor there exists the perspective of further expansion of trade routes network and development of container traffic in the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea region using related modes of transport.

In order to increase freight traffic volume appropriate transport infrastructure is already formed. Namely, development of transit traffic in railway-maritime communication in the area of state border of the Peoples’ Republic of China – the Republic of Kazakhstan – the Caspian Sea – the Republic of Azerbaijan – Georgia – the Republic of Turkey – the Black Sea. Main railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, the commissioning of this line will exclude the necessity of freight transshipment, directed to/from Turkey, in the ports of Georgia which will allow decreasing the total cost of transport. New Baku International Sea Trade Port in Alyat, commissioning of the first phase is planned for the current year.

Moreover TRACECA countries focus on the idea of transport corridors’ extension across the sea and connection of sea routes with main internal transport nodal points. The TRACECA Master Plan (a strategic document) for 7-year period defines the principal steps in this respect.

The Forum touched the issue of the development of traffic in Kazakhstan which is conditioned by the implementation of a “single window” concept, including the elaboration of drafts of subordinate acts.

It should be mentioned that the AEF brings together thousands of participants from more than 150 countries and carried out with the active support and direct participation of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.