BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 29. The planned initiatives under the "Trade Facilitation in Central Asia" project, commissioned by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Tajikistan, focus on simplifying and improving trade procedures, a source at GIZ told Trend.
The source noted that it is a regional project with regional objectives and a team of experts working across all five Central Asian countries. The budget is allocated according to the needs of each country.
The project aims to simplify and streamline trade procedures, making it easier and faster for goods to cross borders. This will involve adopting international standards and best practices.
As part of this initiative, representatives from the relevant ministries of the five countries meet twice a year on the regional platform of the National Committees on Trade Facilitation to discuss and create a unified regional concept for transit and transportation.
Additionally, the project will focus on creating digital solutions to facilitate trade, training, and capacity building, strengthening public-private partnerships, and supporting improvements in transport and logistics infrastructure.
A trade facilitation agreement was signed on June 5, 2024, between the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan and GIZ. The project, which runs from January 2024 through December 2026, has a total budget of 6.5 million euros, distributed among Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. These initiatives are expected to enhance trade dynamics and economic integration in the region.