Rail, ferry systems operation to be improved on Black, Caspian seas
By Nazrin Gadimova
Permanent Secretariat of TRACECA (Transport Corridor
Europe-Caucasus-Asia) has prepared the draft of a new technical
annex to the main multilateral agreement on the basic principles of
rail and ferry systems' operation in the region of the Black and
Caspian seas.
The draft was prepared during the International Black Sea Transport
Forum, which was held in Ukraine on October 16-18, TRACECA's
official website reported.
"The draft document is in the process of agreement with the member
countries," the website reported.
According to the report, the development of the shortest transport
communications between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea by example
of the container-contrailer railway train "Viking" in the direction
Ilychevsk-Klaipeda and its further extension to the countries of
the South Caucasus and Central Asia is a concrete sample of a
perspective project which in its turn stipulates active
development.
Moreover, it was noted that the creation of International Logistics Centres in a separate country would have a positive impact on the member states' national economic development. It also reduces direct and indirect costs of freight transportation and distribution, and helps each country to achieve its potential exports capacity.
TRACECA is an international transport program involving the European Union and 14 member states of the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia regions. It has a permanent Secretariat, financed by the European Commission, in Baku, Azerbaijan, and a regional office in Odessa, Ukraine. Since 2009 the organization has been entirely financed by member countries.
Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Moldova, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan participate in the TRACECA program.