4 December 2008
AssA-Irada

Transport ministers and representatives of numerous international groups gathered in Baku on Wednesday for a landmark meeting aiming to expand the Europe-Caucasus-Asia transport corridor.

The event, devoted to the 10th anniversary of TRACECA, brought together attendees from over 20 countries, as well as representatives of the United Nations, regional groups GUAM and BSEC, the OSCE, the European Commission, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Asian Development Bank. Armenian representatives are among participants at the conference.

Attendees are looking into ways of extending the transport corridor, closer cooperation and other issues. Speakers noted that the implementation of the TRACECA project has been a success. Thus, whereas 9 million tons of cargo were transported via the route in 1998, the volume has reached 53 million tons this year. The project has allowed to open tens of thousands of jobs in many countries.

Jonathan Scheele, the European Commission's chief negotiator, pledged in his remarks that the group would continue providing support in financing the projects being realized within TRACECA, given that these projects are of great importance both for the region and the member states.

Azerbaijani Transport Minister Ziya Mammadov said Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan were seeking participation in the project, however, admission of new members was not planned at the current conference.

The minister told journalists that the conference was of great importance, as it seeks to develop the transport corridors of Europe, Asia and the Caucasus; envisions integration into other such corridors; boosting transportation of consignments via these routes; and increasing Azerbaijan’s role in international cargo transportation. Mammadov said Armenia, which has been left out of major projects as a result of its policy of occupation against Azerbaijan, is also clearly indicating its interest in TRACECA.

“Armenia is ready to take part in South Caucasus regional projects,” said Gagik Grigorian, the national secretary of the TRACECA project on Armenia, who attended the meeting.

Grigorian told the press that just like other members of the project, his country was receiving considerable revenues from its realization.

“As early as when the transport corridor was being created within the TRACECA program, we made the proposal to overhaul the Caucasus region’s transport infrastructure. We are committed to participating in any relevant project and have always wanted this.”

Grigorian noted that Armenia was seeking to further integrate into the global economy and was “looking to the future in terms of the region’s development.”

“I believe that our region currently has a very good, advanced infrastructure. But it is also important to capitalize on this efficiently,” he said.

Grigorian thanked the Azerbaijani government and the European Commission for providing suitable conditions for a delegation from his country to attend the TRACECA jubilee event.

Two documents are to be signed in conclusion of the conference. One of them is a declaration marking the project’s anniversary, while the other one – a paper on TRACECA’s expansion, integration into European transport corridors and other issues, Azerbaijani First Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov told reporters.

The TRACECA project was launched at the initiative of the Azerbaijani national leader, former President Heydar Aliyev in 1998, with the aim to restore the historic Silk Road. The first respective summit was held in Baku that same year.

During the conference on the European Commission-funded project held in Astana, Kazakhstan in December 2007, it had been decided to hold the jubilee event in the Azerbaijani capital in 2008.

TRACECA is currently composed of 13 states - Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Romania.