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.
