BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 19. TRACECA will
consider the possibility of China and Pakistan joining the
organization.
This was stated in a press release published on the TRACECA
website.
According to the information, it was announced during a meeting
between Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Jasurbek Choriev,
Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of the TRACECA
Intergovernmental Commission.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Jasurbek
Choriev, Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of the
TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission, met at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.
"As part of the discussion on TRACECA’s institutional
development, the prospects for expanding the Organization’s
geographic scope through the possible accession of new strategic
partners, such as China and Pakistan, were considered; their
interest in deepening integration opens up new opportunities for
Eurasian logistics. The parties also discussed initiatives to
establish regional centers of excellence in Baku and Tashkent, to
implement the TRACECA Multilateral Authorization System, and to
develop digital tools to facilitate trade," TRACECA reports.
During the meeting, the parties held a thorough exchange of
views on current issues on the regional transport agenda, deepening
cooperation between Azerbaijan and TRACECA, as well as the
implementation of strategic initiatives aimed at unlocking the
transit and transport potential of the Europe-Caucasus-Asia
corridor.
“Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeyhun Bayramov,
noted that Azerbaijan attaches priority to the development of
international transportation cooperation and consistently invests
in the modernization of the national transportation and logistics
infrastructure. It was noted that, against the backdrop of current
geopolitical and economic changes, ensuring the resilience of
transit chains has become particularly important, and every element
of the infrastructure must meet high standards of efficiency.”
TRACECA Secretary-General Jasurbek Choriev briefed the head of
the foreign ministry on the current activities of the Permanent
Secretariat and the key priorities for the development of the
Central Corridor. It was noted that, with the current volume of
cargo traffic at 4.5 million metric tons, the corridor has
significant growth potential, with the volume expected to increase
to 30 million metric tons. “To achieve these targets, it is crucial
to reduce the actual delivery time for cargo from the current 20–36
days to 15 days, which will enable the route to become more
competitive compared to traditional maritime transport, which still
accounts for up to 95 percent of cargo flows between Asia and
Europe,” TRACECA reported.
In addition, it was emphasized that special attention was paid
at the meeting to the environmental agenda and climate resilience
of transportation: “The parties discussed challenges related to
climate change and the lowering of the Caspian Sea’s water level,
which affect the stable operation of port infrastructure.
Azerbaijan’s commitment to the principles of green transportation,
reducing its carbon footprint, and implementing energy-efficient
solutions was underscored.”Furthermore, it is noted that at the
conclusion of the meeting, the participants reaffirmed their mutual
commitment to continue closely coordinating efforts to strengthen
the sustainability of transit, improve the regulatory framework,
and unlock the transportation and economic potential of the TRACECA
region.
