Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan’s Transport Minister Ilkhom Makhkamov took part in the Global Forum on Sustainable Transport in Beijing, where he outlined the country’s priorities for developing sustainable transport, international connectivity and modern logistics systems.
The forum brought together representatives of governments and transport agencies, international organizations, experts and business communities. Participants discussed international transport connectivity, the resilience of logistics chains, industry digitalization and the adoption of new technologies.
Speaking at the forum, Makhkamov said that amid the transformation of global supply chains, transport is becoming an independent and strategically important sector of the global economy. According to him, Uzbekistan supports China’s global initiatives and views sustainable transport as an important area for their practical implementation.
The minister stressed that, as a country without direct access to the sea, Uzbekistan considers the development of a reliable network of land-based transit corridors across Eurasia a strategic priority.
In particular, construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway has entered an active phase. At the same time, the development of design and cost-estimate documentation for the Trans-Afghan railway linking Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan is continuing.
According to the Uzbek side, implementation of these projects will strengthen Central Asia’s role as a transit hub at the intersection of the North-South and East-West corridors, while creating opportunities to expand trade, industrial cooperation and integration across the Eurasian space.
The forum also focused on the climate agenda and the green transformation of transport. Makhkamov outlined Uzbekistan’s efforts to transition public transport to environmentally friendly standards, expand the use of electric vehicles and develop the necessary infrastructure.
The minister identified digitalization as one of the factors in building sustainable logistics. Uzbekistan is introducing the e-Permit electronic permit system, which is being used in cooperation with eight countries, including China. Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan are also implementing eTIR technology.
The forum concluded with the adoption of the framework program “Global Development and Cooperation in Sustainable Transport.” The document provides for a multilateral platform for cooperation among governments, international organizations, financial institutions, businesses, scientific and educational institutions in the field of sustainable transport.
