On August 24, 2023, a meeting was held between the Secretary General of the PS IGC TRACECA, Mr. Asset Assavbayev and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Azerbaijan, H.E. Ms. Pauline Eizema

Ms. Pauline Eizema noted that the TRACECA corridor is distinguished by its multimodality and the many borders that need to be crossed to ensure the connectivity of the countries of Europe and Central Asia. Also, the ongoing projects in the Republic of Azerbaijan with the participation of interested companies from the Kingdom of the Netherlands were also pointed out.

Mr. Assavbayev noted the work carried out on the development of multimodal transport and familiarized with the work of the PS IGC TRACECA in terms of containerization, digitalization of the corridor, including the introduction of electronic transport documents, improvement of border crossing procedures, determination of competitive tariffs and preferential terms, harmonization of legislation, etc.

The discussions also included an exchange of views on integration processes that are strategically important for Europe-the Caucasus-Asia region.  

"Considering the reorientation of freight traffic, the TRACECA countries are taking active measures to increase the capacity of the TRACECA corridor, which also requires attention and support from the European Union," - Secretary General, Mr. A. Assavbayev emphasized.

On the outcomes of the meeting, Ambassador Eizema confirmed her willingness to cooperate after a detailed acquaintance with the current activities and the status of the implementation of initiatives in the countries.

The Secretary General expressed hope for the possibility of assistance from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in promoting TRACECA initiatives and the development of freight transportation along the corridor.