By Damir Nazarov

U.Ibragimov, Director of the “Research Information Centre”, a non­governmental and non-profit organization

On December 19-20, 2019, Tashkent held the first meeting of members of Working Group on Formation of a Multimodal Transport Corridor for “Asian- Pacific Region - China - Kyrgyzstan - Uzbekistan - Turkmenistan - Azerbaijan - Georgia - Europe” and back.

In particular, talks were held between the heads of transportation companies of Azerbaijan (D.Gurbanov, Chairman of CJSC “Azerbaijan railways”), Turkmenistan (A.Atamiratov, Chief of “Turkmen railways ” Agency), Kyrgyzstan (.K.Abdikerimov, General Manager of JSC “NC KTJ”), Georgia (M.Talakhadze, Deputy Director of JSC “Georgian railways” on transportation of goods), Uzbekistan (D.Dehkhanov, Deputy Minister of Transport, Kh.Khasilov, Chairman of JSC “Uzbekistan railways ”, and A.Kamalov, Deputy Chairman of the company) on development of multimodal transportation along international route, increasing the volume of transportation of goods, and development of logistic infrastructure.

A number of topical questions with regard to coordination of activities, applied tariffs, conditions of transportation, exchange of notification on the volume of goods to be shipped, responsible companies, and other issues of transportation through the corridor “China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan- Azerbaijan-Georgia” and vice versa (hereafter referred to as “the Route”), were discussed during the meeting.

The talks resulted in singing a treaty according to which the Parties agree as follows:

• to take note of the information of the Uzbek side on creation of the Working Group "the Route" in the Republic of Uzbekistan which also conducts work on development of highway transportations on the site of Andijan-Osh- Kashgar and in the opposite direction;
• to form a coordination committee and approve that working body of the Coordinating Committee shall be the Working Group under the chairmanship of A. Kamalov, the deputy chairman of JSC “Uzbekistan railways”. To include the first heads of railway administrations of the parties in the structure of Coordinating Committee;
• to take note that the Kirgiz side will soon notify the participants of the meeting about the consideration of the questions related to organization of highway

transportation operations in its territory in accordance with the conditions of previously concluded trilateral agreement of April 20, 1998, between Kyrgyzstan, China and Uzbekistan on “International highway-service”.

• to establish tariff rates on a parity basis (the established tariffs do not apply to transportations of oil, dangerous freights or freights which are imported on special conditions);
• to exempt each other from charge of a payment for uses of cars;
• each party shall undertake an obligation to carry out selection of container platforms in accordance with internal requirements of the admission of container trains;
• The Azerbaijani and Turkmen sides shall explore the issue of feeder service of container freights across the Caspian Sea and soon inform the participants of the meeting on results;
• the parties shall undertake an obligation to send empty, own and inventory container platforms through the route on the instructions of platforms’ owner after an overload, in the mode of urgent returns;
• the parties shall take measures to organize pilot trials of a container train on "the Route" during the first quarter of 2020;
• the companies responsible for the multimodal transportation on "the Route": LLC “ADY CONTAINER” in Azerbaijan, “GR LOGISTICS & TERMINALS” in Georgia, OTU SOE “NC Kyrgyz railways” in Kyrgyzstan, JSC “Transportation logistics center of Turkmenistan” in Turkmenistan, Unitary Enterprise “Uzbekjeldorexpeditsiya” in Uzbekistan;
• the parties shall work on further improvement of logistics centers’ capabilities in Kashgar (PRC), Osh (Kyrgyzstan) and Andijan (Uzbekistan).

Overall, the first meeting of the Working Group members on formation of a multimodal transport corridor was very productive. The parties were satisfied with the results of the meeting.

At present business circles and people of China, Central Asia and Caucasia, are looking forward to launching of the multimodal through transportation on “the Route”.