BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 26. Iran can play a role as a connection bridge between TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia) member states, the Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of the TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission Asset Assavbayev said at the 17th meeting of TRACECA Secretariat heads held in Tehran today, Trend reports.
He mentioned that Iran has the potential to create a connection between TRACECA member states and the Persian Gulf.
Touching on Iran's one-year term as the chairman of TRACECA, Assavbayev pointed out that it is crucial to see what agenda Iran will present during this year, and hopefully, during the country’s presidency, favorable conditions will be created in the areas of transit, export, and import for the member states.
“For TRACECA member states to make better use of Iran's transportation capabilities, the infrastructure of border crossings, railways, and maritime routes must be improved so that countries show more interest in transit and cargo transportation through Iran,” he clarified.
Assavbayev added that the approval of a transit agreement among member states would allow the countries to carry out their cargo transportation without any problems.
He also pointed out that the equalization of border crossings and customs duties for cargo transport from Kazakhstan to Türkiye and then to Europe will encourage other countries to show interest in this direction.
“As the Central Asian countries have no direct access to international waters, creating routes and infrastructure in Iran will provide TRACECA member states with the opportunity to transport cargo via international waters,” he explained.
According to him, one of the agenda items of the 17th meeting of the TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission is the creation of an investment fund.
If this issue is approved, member states, including Iran, will be able to use international alliance budgets to improve transportation infrastructure, Assavbayev concluded.
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