Round table on development of Trans Caspian International Transport Route
19 November 2015, Istanbul
PRESS RELEASE
Round table on development of Trans Caspian International Transport Route organized by the Coordination Committee on the Development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) with support of the Turkic Council was held on 19 November 2015 in Istanbul Expo Centre.
Top railway, seaport and transportation authorities of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan and Turkey provided updated information regarding the ongoing projects, facilities and opportunities that TITR is creating for freight forwarders in the region.
The Coordination Committee on the Development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) established among railway and sea port authorities of Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Turkey in order to attract the transit and foreign trade cargos to the TITR; conduct harmonized policy in the area of setting tariffs for freight traffic (through rates), include railway tariffs; improving the efficiency of transport links in order to organize freight traffic on the TITR; ensure the competitiveness of the TITR in comparison with alternative cargo transportation routes and create a joint integrated logistics product.
Development of transportation and cooperation of Member States and third parties in the field of transport is high on the agenda of the Turkic Council. Moreover, the Heads of States of the Turkic Council at their annual Summit Declarations has always paid high attention to the development of transportation in Member States and further deepening cooperation in the region in this direction.
Furthermore, at the 5th Summit Declaration Heads of States “stressed the importance of strengthening railway connections among the Member States as efficient and stable means of transport and welcome the conclusion of the “Agreement on the Establishment of a Coordination Committee on the Development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route” (TITR) and praise joint efforts of the TITR in realization of the successful run of the first container train from Northwest China to Azerbaijan via Kazakhstan”.
Turkic Council believes that this alternative transport route connecting East and West would not just shorten the distance and reduce the time of cargo flow but will also contribute to the prosperity of the region as a whole.
Also at the end of the meeting, the lunch in honour of participants of the “Round table on development of Trans Caspian International Transport Route” was hosted by Secretariat of the Turkic Council.
