The 20th International Conference on Transport and Logistics "Transport system of Ukraine in the system of Trans-Continental Transport Routes" took part was held on September 27-29, 2017 in Odessa

Within the framework of the Conference decision makers and representatives of international organizations discussed the transport and logistics policy as well as the strategy of corridors development between Europe and Asia. The participants exchanged views on the role of transport and infrastructure strategies and their impact on countries and regions as well as the future trends of connectivity between West and East.

Political processes around Ukraine and the existence of some trade barriers on the alternative corridor resulted in substantial growth of Ukrainian export commodities’ transportation along the TRACECA corridor to the markets of Central Asia.

Transport operators in TRACECA member-states, especially Ukraine established communication between Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea as well as with the ports of Southern and Western Europe and managed to accumulate experience of multimodal solutions in the implementation of the European concept of the Motorways of the Sea.     

Special attention focused on the issue of the establishment of the better logistic solutions by the organization of transportation between Europe and Asia with maximum effective use of transport potential of each participating country.

Within his speech, Mr. Ciopraga touched the role of TRACECA in the organization of efficient logistic in the direction of Europe- Asia. The involvement of TRACECA countries within the orbit of modern logistic networks in the world economy and trade is the key point for further development of the TRACECA corridor. More effective multimodal transport chains promote the increase of competitiveness of the whole TRACECA transport corridor, economic development of the whole region. 

Mr. Ciopraga added that Ukraine has a powerful potential in this respect, developed network of road and railway connections, inland waterways, powerful port infrastructure. Development of multimodal transport, in particular, railway-ferry and RO-RO traffic strengthen the significance of Ukraine in the Black Sea basin, taking into consideration its strategic situation on the border with Central Europe. 
In addition, he also emphasized the launch of testing container train PRChina-Ukraine.

The most important point was mentioning of the Trans-Caspian international transport route project, which is designed to provide transport connections between the East and West of Eurasia, that runs through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and then to Europe via Turkey and Ukraine. 

The route was launched with the establishment of its Coordinating Committee in October 2013. The first test container train from China arrived at the Baku International Sea Trade Port on August 3, 2015.

Of no small importance is the development of the shortest transport communications between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea on the example of a container railway train “Viking” along the route Ilychevsk – Klaipeda, and its further technological extension to other TRACECA countries, including the countries of Central Asia, which present a specific example of this project availability.