TEHRAN – The first summit on transit cooperation between Iran and five central Asian countries including Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, kicked off in Tehran on Saturday, IRIB reported.

According to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Mehdi Safari, during the two-day event, challenges and opportunities of expanding transit collaboration between Iran and the mentioned Central Asian nations will be explored.

“This gathering will lead to the adoption of a more coordinated policy among the present countries, and hopefully result in providing solutions for the obstacles regarding transit cooperation,” Safari said at the opening ceremony of the summit.

Iran eyes 20 million tons of annual transit

The official stated that Iran is seeking to reach common policies with Central Asian countries in order to achieve an annual 20-million-ton transit goal.

“Iran will provide transit routes to its landlocked neighbors to achieve this goal,” Safari said.

Emphasizing the need for the development of international transit corridors passing through Iran, he added: “We must create a management system for such corridors in order to use for improving rail, sea, and air routes.”

“We will soon hold an international conference in this field,” he said.

Also speaking at the summit, Deputy Transport Minister Shahriyar Afandizadeh said: “Due to the formation of the current constructive and interactive atmosphere in the field of international transportation and transit among the present members, and considering Iran's bilateral and multilateral agreements with other countries, a new chapter will be opened in the country’s transportation and transit collaborations.”

“We hope this summit will lead to reaching smart and purposeful decisions for the cooperation among all members in such a way that favorable conditions are provided for the development of infrastructure and transportation facilities,” he said.

Afandizadeh pointed out that in the current meeting, in addition to providing a suitable space for the exchange of views as well as bilateral meetings between the ministers and other senior transport officials of the respective countries, a final cooperation document is expected to be approved by the attendees.

“The draft of this document was sent to the respected members prior to the summit,” he said.

According to the official, the improvement of border traffic, digital development in transit processes, facilitation of embassy affairs and visa issuance for drivers, as well as continuous improvement of tariffs and transit charges are among the major goals of the summit.

EF/MA