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By Trend

Turkic Council member states agreed to create a Transport Coordination Committee to accelerate resolving emerging issues and to effectively coordinate transport and logistics during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, Trend reports with reference to the Turkic Council press office.

The topic was discussed during a video-conference meeting of the Ministers of Transport of Turkic Council member and observer states, held on April 30, 2020.

The meeting was attended by Azerbaijan’s Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Ramin Guluzade, Secretary General of the Turkic Council Baghdad Amreyev; Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu; Uzbekistan’s Minister of Transport Elyor Ganiev; Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Berik Kamaliyev; Kyrgyzstan’s State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Roads Ermek Mamyrkaliev; and Hungary’s Minister of State for Transport Policy László Mosóczi.

During the meeting, parties discussed efforts in pandemic battle and measures currently taken in the field of transport, and elaborated on the practical ways to address the difficulties the countries are currently facing in transporting goods due to the pandemic.

Parties also talked future steps that would be required in transport field for the early recovery from the economic repercussions of the pandemic.

Participants underlined the vital importance of taking necessary measures to ensure sustainable transport operations for food security and unhindered passage of essential, humanitarian and basic consumer goods, as well as medicines and medical equipment among the countries. The ministers also highlighted the urgency of the facilitation of transport operations across the Trans-Caspian East-West International Transport Corridor to help overcome the negative effects of the global pandemic on the economies of the regional countries.

The ministers agreed on assisting with the movement of freight vehicles through borders/checkpoints for the delivery of humanitarian and basic consumer goods, medicines and medical equipment, and on exchanging information on emerging problems in this field. They also consented to lend assistance to one another with additional transit permits, transit-pass fees, driver visas on the basis of reciprocity.

As a result of the meeting parties decided to create a ‘Task Force’ at the level of deputy ministers named ‘Transport Coordination Committee’ of the Turkic Council to quickly resolve emerging issues and effectively coordinate transport and logistics during and after the pandemic.

In order to overcome the limitations caused by the pandemic, they also agreed to establish a ‘Green Corridor’ among the member states for the prompt transit of food, medical products and other essential goods.

Additionally, parties also agreed to finalize the negotiations of the ‘Agreement on the International Combined Freight Transport Among the Member States of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States’ draft as soon as possible.

The next meeting was agreed to be held in Summer 2020 in Budapest.

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