Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – Today, on 29 June, a Logistics Forum took place in Tashkent with the participation of leading transport and logistics companies from Pakistan and Uzbekistan.
The forum was attended by the First Deputy Minister of Commerce of Pakistan Ahsan Ali Mangi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Uzbekistan Ahmad Farooq, First Deputy Minister of Transport of the Republic of Uzbekistan Mamanbiy Omarov, First Deputy Chairman of the Board of Uzbekistan Railways Hikmatulla Rakhmetov, First Deputy Chairman of the Board of Russian Railways Alexey Pavlov, representatives of state bodies, transport and logistics companies, and business circles.
The forum discussed the creation of favorable conditions for bilateral and transit freight transportation through the multimodal transport corridor "Uzbekistan - Afghanistan - Pakistan," joint removal of existing barriers, and strengthening mutually beneficial strategic cooperation.
It should be noted that today, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) states show great interest in redirecting freight traffic from traditional transport corridors through the multimodal transport corridor "Uzbekistan - Afghanistan - Pakistan." According to statistics, in 2023, the volume of cargo transportation along this corridor increased by 1.5 times compared to 2021.
During the forum, the First Deputy Minister of Transport of the Republic of Uzbekistan Mamanbiy Omarov emphasized the importance of the systematic use of the transport corridor "Uzbekistan - Afghanistan - Pakistan," rather than viewing it as an alternative corridor. In this direction, it is necessary to unite efforts and develop common approaches, M. Omarov said.
During the forum, First Deputy Minister of Transport Mamanbiy Omarov put forward the following proposals for the development of the transport corridor "Uzbekistan - Afghanistan - Pakistan":
- Reducing fees levied on freight transportation and establishing them on a parity basis in each state;
- Development of a cargo insurance mechanism along the route and establishment of insurance fees based on global experience;
- Development of a specific mechanism to ensure cargo security during transportation;
- Reduction of the number of loading and unloading operations during transportation;
- Development of regulatory documents to establish clear routes for transportation of heavy and oversized cargo along the route and organization of such transportation;
- Widely introducing digitization into the process of freight transportation;
- Organization of joint research and development of proposals to increase the capacity of the Salang Pass, which is the "heart" of this transport corridor.