BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 27. Kyrgyzstan plays a key transit role in east-west connectivity, Secretary General of the International Road Transport Union (IRU) Umberto de Pretto told Trend.
"Kyrgyzstan, a landlocked Central Asian country that has embraced transportation and transit, plays an important role in east-west connectivity, helping to send commodities from China to the Middle East, Europe, and beyond," he said.
He stated that just this year, IRU activated numerous new TIR routes connecting Kyrgyzstan to the east and west, including the route connecting Pakistan to Kazakhstan via China and Kyrgyzstan, as well as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan truck route.
The Pakistani transport company NLC completed the first operation on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan-Pakistan TIR route in November 2023.
The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan corridor was also established this year. This new TIR route, which connects China to Central Asia, was activated by CEVA Logistics, an IRU member. This route is projected to increase trade between these three countries, benefiting not just the area but also the world.
"As Kyrgyzstan continues to implement trade facilitation and harmonization instruments, such as acceding to e-CMR last year, it becomes an increasingly important country along the major corridors crossing it," he said.
E-CMR is an electronic version of the consignment note, used within the framework of the CMR Convention for transporting goods by road transport.
TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers) is an international transit system governed by a UN convention, operating globally through collaboration between the public and private sectors.