Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- As previously reported, on 16-17 March this year, Tashkent hosted a six-party meeting of the heads of railway administrations (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey) on the development of the international multimodal route "Asia-Pacific countries - China - Kyrgyzstan - Uzbekistan - Turkmenistan - Azerbaijan - Georgia - Turkey - Europe”.

It should be noted that the Turkish side took part in the current meeting for the first time. In 2019, at the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the first working meeting of the heads of the railway administrations of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia was held.

It should be emphasized that at this meeting the parties noted the particular strategic importance of further cooperation in the development of an international multimodal route. The coordinated measures and interaction of all its participants contributed to the revival and increase in the volume of cargo transportation, the acceleration of the passage of container trains and the organization of combined transportation of goods. And the use of special tariff rates and conditions for the transportation of goods made it possible to increase the volume of trade between the countries, which is in the interests of all participants and contributes to attracting additional cargo flows.

In order to increase the volume of traffic along the multimodal route, the parties agreed to make efforts to join the Chinese Railways to it. The Coordinating Committee, represented by Uzbekistan Temir Yollari, was delegated the right to notify the Chinese side of the conditions created and offer to join this project. 

At the same time, the sides agreed to continue working together with the ports and border structures of the participating countries to optimize tariffs, terms of cargo handling and shipping documents when organizing multimodal transportation.

During the meeting, the Azerbaijani and Turkmen sides informed about the additional launch of two feeder vessels, and, if necessary, are ready to add another vessel. In addition, the Azerbaijani and Georgian sides announced the opening of an additional feeder service from 1 April 2022 and the joint provision of services for the transportation of containers from the ports of Poti/Batumi towards Europe.

As a result of the event, the participants agreed to hold the next meeting in the summer of this year in one of the countries participating in this multimodal route.

Within the framework of the two-day meeting, quadrilateral negotiations were also held between the delegations of the railway administrations of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, on the possibility of transporting chemical cargo and mineral fertilizers in wagons through the territories of the participating countries with the provision of preferential tariffs, in connection with the current situation, as well as the need to expand geography of export cargo transportation from the Republic of Uzbekistan in the direction of the Black Sea ports - further Europe.

The parties also agreed to help reduce the cost of port costs for the carriage of goods in wagons in the ports of Turkmenbashi and Alyat by contacting the administrations of these ports, the press service of Uzbekistan Temir Yullari reports.