Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – Today, the 12th meeting of the ministers of transport of the member countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization is being held in Tashkent.

At the meeting, issues of expanding cooperation in the field of trade and transport communications, development and effective use of existing ones in the region and the creation of new transport corridors, expanding international cooperation between Uzbekistan and foreign partners are discussed.

Participants at the 12th meeting of transport ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), held today in the capital of Uzbekistan, noted that the Organization’s potential in the field of transport and logistics is not being fully used.

According to those present, in order to bring cooperation to a qualitatively new level, it is necessary to find solutions to the issues of creating interregional transit hubs, developing transport and road infrastructure, optimizing transit tariffs, facilitating conditions for international cargo transportation and digitalization of transport services.

In turn, to implement the above plans, the Minister of Transport of the Republic of Uzbekistan Ilkhom Makhkamov proposed:

- develop transport corridors Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan and Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan-China, which will further strengthen the transport interconnection of the ECO;

- assign Samarkand airport the status of a regional air hub of the ECO for the development of tourism between the participating countries;

- create favorable conditions for increasing transit transportation of goods through the ECO countries, use a flexible tariff policy, and facilitate the transportation process;

- accelerate the implementation of digitalization of customs clearance procedures for goods and shipping documents through E-Permit, E-TIR, E-Transit.

At the conclusion of his speech, the Minister of Transport of the Republic of Uzbekistan noted that the unification of ECO member countries in the transport industry will undoubtedly serve the sustainable development and strengthening of transport and communication interconnectedness of the Economic Cooperation Organization.

The agenda of this meeting includes the adoption of the Tashkent Declaration.