A two-day meeting on development of deliveries via the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA) started in Baku on Thursday. with the top representatives of the Azerbaijani Transport Ministry, the Georgian Ministry for Economic Development, the Kazakh Ministry of Transport and Communications. Musa Panahov, the Azerbaijani Deputy
Transport Minister, noted that under the gathering it is planned to hold discussions on attraction of additional cargo via the TRACECA corridor and increase of cargo deliveries via the Baku-Aktau-Poti and Baku-Aktau-Batumi sea ports.
The gathering will also focus on the development of inter-modal, including the container deliveries via the Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan-Georgia railway route, implementation of projects on connecting the relevant lines of the TransвЂ"European and Trans-Asian railway routes, Trans-Kazakhstan railway main, new junctions of the Gars-Tbilisi-Baku railway route and attraction of additional investments for the development of infrastructure of three countries. Panahov also noted that over the past 6 months of 2005 the cargo deliveries via the TRACECA have increased 6-7%. The railway deliveries grew 14.5%. A rise in deliveries was mainly observed in the transportation of oil and oil products.
Tamar Kovzuridze, the Georgian Deputy Minister for Economic Development, noted that Georgia is interested in boosting cargo deliveries via the route and the application of unified tariff rates on concrete type of cargo and directions.
Talgat Abilgazim the Kazakh Vice-Minister for Transport and Communications, noted that the attraction of additional cargo via the route is of great importance and the problem is acute, as we signed a multilateral agreement [1998] on TRACECA. Today all opportunities of the route are exploited.
We will receive good results to resolve the problems under the meeting.
Akif Mustafayev, the chairman of the Permanent Secretariat of TRACECA in Azerbaijan, at present there is big cargo delivery between Asia and Europe. However, the delivery of container cargo via TRACECA is very low. Increase of the delivery will enable to increase the incomes.