On March 25, the second day of the Tashkent International Investment Forum was held, within the framework of which more than 15 events took place, including round tables, meetings, dialogues, panel discussions, document signing ceremonies.
An important event in the field of logistics was the panel discussion “A New Stage in the Development of Transport and Logistics Infrastructure”.
The speakers of the discussion were Minister of Transport of the Republic of Uzbekistan Ilkhom Makhkamov, Deputy Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Badriddin Abidov, Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan Muhammad Yakub Sheikh, Chairman of the Board of JSC NC “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy ” Nurlan Sauranbaev and Secretary-General of the TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission Aset Asavbaev.
The role of the moderator was performed by ADB Director General for Central and Western Asia Evgeny Zhukov.
During the meeting, the key priorities for the active development of rail, air, road passenger, and freight transport, the relevance of improving the digital infrastructure for the modernization of logistics services, the most attractive financing models for expanding the logistics potential were discussed.
In the past, the Central Asian region has already played a consolidating role in Asian civilization. Here was located the central connecting node of the Great Silk Road, the so-called logistics hub. It transported not only material values but also intangible assets – the experience, achievements, and scientific thoughts of the peoples of Eurasia. Today, Uzbekistan also occupies a favorable geographical location in the very heart of Central Asia.
Minister of Transport of the Republic of Uzbekistan Ilkhom Makhkamov noted:
– The transport platform of the Tashkent International Investment Forum is a chance to expand cooperation between state bodies and private companies. Discussion of issues related to the stages of development of the transport system with the audience of the forum serves to establish mutually beneficial ties and fruitful work.
Today, all the countries of Central Asia are developing and the progressive growth of the economy requires the improvement of transport and communication systems. The Republic of Uzbekistan is the only country that has direct access to all the countries of Central Asia, which can serve as a good bridge for expanding ties between China, Europe, and other countries.
The minister also addressed the representatives of the business sector, especially canceling the fact that the processes of globalization taking place in the world require the integration of local transport systems into international ones. The active implementation of IT solutions will not only increase productivity and quality but is also a cost-effective step.
He also assured that the agency is open to dialogue with the private sector and will support their participation in improving the transport sector in every possible way.
Improvements in this direction can be achieved with the help of electronic document management and simplification of customs procedures, said Evgeny Zhukov, ADB Director General for Central and West Asia.
Deputy Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Badriddin Abidov outlined the main priorities of the “North-South” transport corridor, difficulties and further plans for the development of transport and logistics infrastructure.
The Deputy Minister noted the country’s intention to find new ways to diversify trade routes. Since Uzbekistan is a developing country with many tasks and goals, the republic should join forces with other Central Asian countries to improve the efficiency of cargo movement.
Great efforts are being made to develop a trade route with Kabul and facilitate trade with Pakistan and Southeast Asia.
Uzbekistan will also continue to interact with partners under the ADB program to create a new economic corridor between the cities of Shymkent, Tashkent, Khujand and adjacent regions. It is noted that “China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan” is another promising direction.
The Chairman of the Board of JSC NC “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy” Nurlan Sauranbaev emphasized that the terms of transportation, prices and stability play an important role for shippers. Accordingly, these moments should be paid attention to when carrying out reforms.
General Secretary of the TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission Asset Asavbaev: “At least two sessions are devoted to the transport component at the site of the Tashkent International Investment Forum. This shows the relevance of the issue for the republic. Transport accessibility issues come to the fore. The ongoing work on the development of new routes requires huge efforts, investments and work. In this regard, I would like to wish good luck to Uzbekistan.”
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan Muhammad Yaqoob Shaikh said that bilateral trade between Uzbekistan and Pakistan has been carried out for four years, and during this time there were no serious problems, except for the long delivery time of goods to the north of Uzbekistan.
“Of course, there are difficulties that we must solve together. One of these is the reloading of goods from sea to land transport. This takes from one to one and a half day. We want the cargo to go to Termez without hindrance,” he said.
Pakistan expresses great respect for Uzbekistan and appreciates the efforts made to develop cooperation between the countries.
Ralf Napel, Director of Deutsche Bahn Engineering & Consulting GmbH on Kazakhstan and Central Asia spoke about the need to transform the market. He suggested that Uzbekistan could play a key role in the future development of southern routes across the Caspian Sea to Europe.
Thus, during the panel discussion, experts raised the issue of the need to develop transport and logistics infrastructure and diversify transport routes.
On the third day of the forum (March 26), it is planned to visit tourist cities (Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva) and industrial enterprises.