Azernews.Az

The measure aims to improve roads, airports, railways and seaports to turn the region into a vital transit hub for trade between Europe and Asia.
The plan was adopted by Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan at a ministerial held in the Tajik capital Dushanbe with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and five other groups.
"Central Asia is becoming a central region in Eurasia, a vital overland bridge linking Europe, Russia, China, South Asia and the Middle East," the ministers said in a joint declaration upon conclusion of the sixth ministerial conference on the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program.
As part of the strategy, competitive transport corridors will be set up through the CAREC region, the travel of people and the flow of goods via the borders simplified, and safe, integrated and reliable environmentally-friendly transport systems created.
Although Central Asia is located at the heart of the Eurasian continent, less than 1% of the overall Europe-Asia trade currently passes through the region. Inefficient transport infrastructure, burdensome procedures for cross-border passage and complicated customs and immigration regulations have made the focus for commodities turnover shift from overland to maritime transportation. The newly-enforced plan targets removing these hurdles by facilitating travel across countries and the exchange of goods.
The plan envisions investments to the tune of $18.7 billion over the next decade to build six new transport corridors, with the emphasis on roads and railway lines. Over half of the funds are likely to be disbursed by multi-lateral organizations, such as the ADB, while the rest - by participating countries.
"This is a major and ambitious strategy," ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda told the conference. "I am confident that with the firm participation of each country and organization involved in the CAREC program, active implementation of the strategy could improve the economic condition of the region and living standards."
Central Asia has historically been crossed by a plethora of routes connecting the East and West, known as the Silk Road, which dates back two millennia. The route represented a vital economic artery stretching for over 10,000 km from the Mediterranean Sea to the Yellow River valley. The proposed transport corridors do not identically match the Silk Road, but they will link not only the East and West but also the North and South, thus connecting the Central Asian republics, Russia and China with South Asia and the Persian Gulf.