Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

A new transport corridor, linking Europe with Central Asia through connecting to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) can become an important prospect of the new Great Silk Road project.

Cooperation on the implementation of the new corridor concept in the format of GUAM organization (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) was discussed in Kiev between the GUAM Secretary General Altai Efendiev and Kazakhstan Ambassador to Ukraine, Samat Ordabaev.

“The Secretary General informed the ambassador about the recent decisions made in this direction in the framework of GUAM. The parties stressed the importance of developing comprehensive cooperation,” the GUAM reported.

The Organization for Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM is an international regional organization of four states: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

The GUAM format was established by post-Soviet countries in 1997 during the summit of heads of States of the European Union in Strasbourg.

In 2006, the states decided to declare GUAM an international organization, and it was renamed to the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development.

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route is designed to provide transport connections between the East and West of Eurasia. It will enable the countries to reduce the costs of international cargo transportation.

The TITR runs through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and then to Europe via Turkey and Ukraine. The first test container train on route Shihezi (China)-Dostyk-Aktau-Alat, arrived in Baku international sea trade port on August 3, 2015.

In order to increase the transportation volume through the route, in May, delegations of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Ukraine signed a protocol providing competitive preferential tariffs on the Trans-Caspian route. The tariffs came into force from June 1.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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