The Third Meeting of the ECO/UNECE Coordinating Committee on the Trans-Caspian and Almaty-Istanbul Corridors was held on July 25-26, 2023 in Baku (Republic of Azerbaijan)

The agenda of the event focused on border crossing facilitation tools and standards on the above-mentioned corridors, latest border crossing facilitation and digitalization initiatives of countries, transport infrastructure parameters in order to identify corridor segments in need of modernization and renewal, etc.

During his speech, the Secretary General of the PS IGC TRACECA, Mr. Assavbayev A.A. informed the participants of the meeting about the work aimed at implementing TRACECA initiatives, including the use of the CIM/SMGS consignment note and the gradual transition to its electronic form, digitalization of the corridor, as well as harmonization of customs procedures. In addition, Mr. Assavbayev A. noted the need to join efforts in order to improve the border crossing efficiency along the two routes considered today.

On the outcomes of the first day, the participants discussed the next steps in the implementation of customs/ border crossing efficiency related actions as defined in the Coordination Committee`s 2023-2025 programme of work.

On the second day of the Meeting, within the framework of the session devoted to the next steps in the development of reliable agreed timetables and tariffs, the Secretary General of the PS IGC TRACECA emphasized that "...first, it is necessary to define common approaches in determining tariffs, that is, a single mechanism that will be adapted by countries to increase the transparency of the tariff calculation procedure. The next important step is also to ensure the application of this single mechanism."

Also, the organizers of the event organized a visit of the participants to the Baku International Sea Trade Port.


For reference:

•    The UN and ECO are actively working to develop transport cooperation in the region, which plays a significant role in ensuring the connectivity of the countries of Europe and Asia. In this context, the deepening and development of transport routes has been and remains an important issue and requires the adoption of joint internationally coordinated decisions.
•    The Trans-Caspian and Almaty-Istanbul corridors connect Europe and East Asia and have a high potential for container transport. In this regard, the meeting was attended by high-ranking heads of transport companies and customs authorities from the countries of both corridors, and the expected outcome of its work was to agree on a priority list of actions to be taken regarding the regulation of existing tariffs, services and traffic schedules, as well as an already drafted list of physical/non-physical problems and bottlenecks.


Related News:

•    On June 6-7, 2023, the Second Meeting of the ECO\UNECE Coordination Committee on the Trans-Caspian and Almaty-Istanbul Corridors took place
http://www.traceca-org.org/en/news/single-news/n/on_june_6_7_2023_the_second_meeting_of_the_ecounece_coordination_committee_on_the_trans_caspian_a/