Azerbaijan, Baku, March 2, Trend , E. Ismailov
With the aim of coverage of supplementary goods traffic, the Asia-Caucasus-Europe Transport Corridor (TRACECA) explores the opportunity of applying discount coefficients and through tariffs to ensure guaranteed goods volume within its central segment, TRACECA's Azerbaijan National Secretary Akif Mustafayev reported on Tuesday. This matter was examined at a meeting of the Tariff Working Group held in Bulgaria in February.
"At the Working Group's meeting attended by TRACECA 12 participant countries and representatives and railway and marine transport of these countries, there were examined tariffs within the corridor's central segment. The core objective of the meeting was to cover supplementary goods traffic with the aim of applying definite coefficients and through tariffs to ensure guaranteed goods traffic", Mustafayev said. Iran did not attend the meeting because it is a new participant country, and that's why tariffs within the main, central segment of the corridor passing via Azerbaijan and Georgia were examined at the meeting.
According to Mustafayev, no joint protocol was signed following the results of the Working Group's meeting because the sides did not come to final consent; nevertheless, the positions of the sides have become closer after the meeting was held. For the reasons of achievement of full consent, it is planned to examine this matter at a next meeting of the Working Group, which is scheduled to take place in Turkey this April-May.
Currently, TRACECA participant states are Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Moldova, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey and Ukraine. Iran is a comparatively new participant of the corridor.