BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. It is necessary to create a modern, multimodal communication system to establish cargo transportation through Central Asia using the Caspian Sea ports, Turkmenistan's Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy Begmyrat Allakbayev said, TurkicWorld reports.
He spoke at the 18th meeting of the SPECA Board of Directors in Baku.
He emphasized the importance of cooperation of SPECA countries with the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, as well as the rest of international and regional transport organizations.
"The digitalization of trade and transit procedures is an integral part of simplifying the process of vehicle control, warehousing, and export-import operations in general," Allakbayev stressed.
He mentioned that in this context, Turkmenistan has adopted and is systematically implementing the Concept of Digital Economy Development for 2019-2025.
"To date, agreements on mutual exchange of data on transported goods are in force between SPECA countries, mostly on a bilateral basis, which in turn also simplifies customs procedures," Allakbayev said.
He also added that in this direction there is established interaction with the Azerbaijani and Uzbek sides, a necessary legal framework with the Kazakh and Tajik sides, as well as relevant negotiations with the Kyrgyz side on the regulatory framework.
The UN SPECA program was established on March 26, 1998.
At present, the SPECA member states are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
SPECA provides a platform for sub-regional cooperation to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that can best be achieved through regional cooperation.
Azerbaijan is chairing the program in 2023 and hosting SPECA Days in Baku on November 20–24, 2023.
