The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) has adopted “strengthening connectivity” as its main theme for 2022 highlighting the crucial role of transport in integrating the economies of the region.
Following a proposal by Uzbek President H.E. Shavkat Mirziyoyev in 2021, the Council of Ministers of ECO has unanimously adopted this year’s theme: strengthening connectivity.
The goal is to “promote well-developed transport infrastructure, safe, smooth and unhindered cross border transit, digitalised procedures, well-managed integrated road, rail, maritime, air and communication networks and enhanced international interaction for a well-developed region.”
The ECO secretariat and Member States have worked closely with IRU in recent years on transport, transit and trade in the region and beyond.
In particular, IRU has partnered with ECO to activate the new Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul (ITI), Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Iran (KTAI), and Iran-Afghanistan-Uzbekistan corridors. Further afield, TIR corridors have been extended to the GCC region and the CIS countries.
Underpinning these achievements across the region has been a continued focus on the digitalisation of transport documents including TIR and CMR.
IRU looks forward to continuing its partnership with ECO on transport, transit and border crossing facilitation, including through digitalisation, to effectively boost the region’s connectivity.