Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu attended the 6th International Kazakhstan Transport and Logistics Business Forum held in the capital city of Kazakhstan, Astana. Minister Uraloğlu first visited the 26th International Translogistica Kazakhstan-2023 Exhibition, which is the largest transportation, logistics services, and technology fair in Central Asia, and received information from officials about the products and services. Following his inspections at the exhibition area, Uraloğlu spoke at the forum, stating that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Project, which completes a significant part of the Middle Corridor, has initiated a new era in transportation. He said, "With this railway line, we operate mutual freight trains from our country to many points in Europe, including Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Poland, Romania, Czechia, Slovakia, Serbia, and France in the west, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in the east, Russia in the north, and Georgia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and China in Central Asia."
Highlighting the importance of cooperation among countries in the development of the Middle Corridor, in which Türkiye plays a crucial role, Uraloğlu stated, "Our country is determined to improve and enhance the Middle Corridor route in the short, medium, and long term."
Uraloğlu emphasized that recent developments have presented a historic opportunity to increase the volume of freight transportation along the Middle Corridor. He stated, "I hope this forum will contribute to making the Middle Corridor route, in which our countries are located, more competitive and provide alternative solutions to meet the potential demand."
Uraloğlu mentioned their focus on developing projects to enhance the Middle Corridor, saying, "On one hand, we are continuing our investments in line with our 2053 National Master Plan, and on the other hand, we aim to increase our country's and, likewise, the Middle Corridor's freight potential with the 'Development Road' project that will connect the Persian Gulf to Europe and Asia through Türkiye."
Uraloğlu reminded that in November, they signed the "Roadmap for the Development of the Middle Corridor and Simultaneous Elimination of Bottlenecks 2022-2027" with Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. He further emphasized, "The land route section of the Middle Corridor, which is a significant opportunity for Central Asia, is another critical area that needs to be emphasized."
Uraloğlu explained that approximately 90% of freight transportation from Türkiye to the Central Asian region is done by road. He stated, "This statistic demonstrates the significance of road transportation for regional cargo movements. In this context, we should make efforts to eliminate practices that hinder road transportation, slow down freight flow, and cause delays."
Minister Uraloğlu emphasized the importance of closer cooperation among Central Asian countries in the field of transportation and stated the following:
He pointed out that taking steps to liberalize transit transportation and reduce transportation costs is of utmost importance. He further stated, "As we have mentioned on numerous occasions before, we can take steps in this regard by eliminating transit permits and fees, simplifying customs procedures. Such facilitations will not only enhance the attractiveness of our route but also increase competition, advancing the transportation ecosystem further."
Uraloğlu highlighted the role of digitization in road and rail transportation, saying, "The Electronic Transit Document (e-Permit) that we have developed is one of the applications that serve this purpose. In short, e-Permit is a system that allows transportation without physical documents. We have completed the pilot process of the e-Permit system with Uzbekistan and have set our quotas. We are also in discussions with Azerbaijan to implement this system. I invite other countries in our region to join this system."
"With this project, we will connect the Persian Gulf to Europe through Turkey"
Uraloğlu stated that the Development Road, a road and rail transport corridor stretching from Basra to the Turkish border, spans 1,200 kilometers. He added, "We plan for this new route, known as the Development Road, to have an annual capacity of 4.7 million TEUs of containers and 28.5 million tons of bulk cargo. With this project, we will connect the Persian Gulf to Europe through Türkiye. To achieve this goal, we are closely collaborating with Iraq and other regional countries. This massive project will create an environmentally friendly and uninterrupted freight route between the Middle East and Western Europe. As one of the main stakeholders in the project, we aim to start construction as soon as possible. With this corridor in place, we have learned that our friends are also planning to send cargo towards Central Asia. This will significantly facilitate freight movement in the East-West direction, which has been emphasized in the Middle Corridor but has made limited progress. In regional initiatives like the Development Road, Türkiye will continue to be constructive and solution-oriented, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stated, ' Türkiye is progressing towards becoming a logistics superpower in a vast geography stretching from London to Beijing, from Siberia to South Africa.'"
Comments
No comment yet.