The Silk Road will connect with each other new countries using the Eurasian communications, open new horizons and new trade channels in the region. Crans Montana Forum 2017

Since its inception, the Forum has been gathering the representatives of authorized public structures, international organizations, independent institutions and business communities to discuss and to define further development vectors of socio-economic dimension.    

The speakers of the 28th Annual Session of the Crans Montana Forum within its sessions focused their debates on the most crucial and important political and economic challenges of nowadays. 

In particular, 3-days Forum covered discussions on the new dynamic opportunities within East and West, key elements to economic, stable and sustainable development, industrial investment. Geostrategic and environmental concerns are at the top of the Agendas of the Forum.

Within the Forum, participants of the Forum sounded that nowadays economic alternative bridging, from East to West, the new territories of development and growth represents an exceptional opportunity for the World. Cooperation must be based on mutual respect and confidence as well as balancing the role of major countries and smaller ones.

Special focus has been made on International Conference within the Forum dedicated to the Silk Road Cooperation & its potential for the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East, chaired by Mr. Mircea Ciopraga, TRACECA Secretary General.

Mr. Ciopraga shared the TRACECA experience regarding the international transport connections, latest plans and projects within its regional cooperation and its further introduction.

Mr. Ciopraga stressed that possible accession of new members to TRACECA and those interested in mutual cooperation with TRACECA may create new horizons for facilitation trade and communication. In particular, in the maritime sector we could fruitfully cooperate with ports and maritime administrations of the Middle East countries, as well as with those of the North Africa in the field of maritime safety and security and environmental protection. Improvement of the Silk Road will be mutually advantageous and preferential for Asia and Europe. It represents an alternative of economic integration on the basis of common interests, first of all regarding creation of an integrated transport network which will ensure both mutual trade and transit of foreign trade between Asia and Europe. 

Participants of the session underlined that in the future strengthening of cooperation will intensify the connectivity of economies of the Silk Road participating countries and will be able to result in natural removal of trade barriers, which may lead to formation of a common mutually advantageous free-trade area.

Mr. Ciopraga also has lead the Session of Club of Ports of Crans Montana. The Club of Ports works as a private platform offering high-level meetings to its Members and providing them with unique networking opportunities within a framework dedicated to sharing experience, knowledge transmission and the permanent discovery of new techniques related to the Maritime industry. 

Among all Session`s speakers Mr. Ciopraga stressed that at the moment under the aegis of TRACECA the member states proceed with the implementation of the TRACECA Regional Action Strategy on Maritime Safety and Security and Environmental Protection for the period up to 2021.  

Mr. Ciopraga also mentioned that continuation and enlargement of active and mutually beneficial cooperation among all concerned parties within the Crans Montana Forum is very important for the purpose of developing investment, economic and trade potential of the Eurasian region.

Adoption of the agreed standards and principles also provides for the opportunity to considerably reduce the time and costs of cargo transportation by adopting uniform requirements to various aspects and phases of organization and performance of the process of traffic.