BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 5. The Permanent Secretariat of the TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission, together with partners, discussed the development of recommendations for the best scenarios of trade routes among participating representatives of the private sector from Central Asian countries, as well as Azerbaijan and Georgia, the TRACECA press service told TurkicWorld.

In order to cut down on delays and enhance transit procedures, topics like the harmonization of customs practices and border crossing as well as the development of electronic information interchange were reviewed.

Asset Assavbayev, secretary general of the PS IGC TRACECA, pointed out that the primary areas of work were particularly focused on the growth of multimodal transport, the digitalization of the corridor, and enhancing maritime transport efficiency.

"Both direct investment measures in infrastructure projects and comprehensive measures aimed at reducing the cost of transportation and increasing competitiveness are effective for multimodal transport development. Within the framework of TRACECA, sufficient attention has also been paid to the coordination among multimodal transport representatives. The Permanent Secretariat expresses its readiness to cooperate in order to ensure greater and more effective connectivity in the region," Assavbayev said.

A unified action plan that incorporates suggestions and input from relevant stakeholders representing all modes of transportation as well as insights and top priorities from governments and international organizations is anticipated to be developed, according to the press service, based on the outcome of the event.

On July 27–28, 2023, in Tbilisi (Georgia), a conference on enhancing cooperation among Trans-Caspian Trade Route multimodal transport professionals and outlining workable multimodal scenarios for its usage and growth was conducted.

The UN Economic Commission for Europe, PS IGC TRACECA, Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, German Development Agency (GIZ), International Road Transport Union, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and other international organizations are participating in this event, which is being organized by the Commercial Law Development Program of the US Department of Commerce in collaboration with the US Agency for International Development.