Road transport’s pivotal role in trade topped the agenda during a recent meeting between IRU’s Secretary General and Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to WTO.
A landlocked country at the heart of east-west trade, Kazakhstan is playing an increasingly pivotal role as a transit country, particularly as an essential part of the Middle Corridor.
IRU’s Secretary General, Umberto de Pretto, and the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Zhanar Aitzhan, recently discussed road transport and TIR’s role in ensuring that trade is both efficient and secure.
TIR is continuing to expand in Asia and beyond. Corridors connecting Kazakhstan to China are of particular importance.
Just last year, a new China-Kazakhstan TIR route was activated. Umberto de Pretto highlighted the importance of TIR and its digital tools to enhance the security and transparency of trade.
Kazakhstan was the first country in the region to introduce TIR Green Lanes (express lanes at border crossings for TIR traffic) in 2019. TIR Green Lanes cut border crossing times, optimise transit flows with risk management mechanisms, and enhance transit security.
Given that China’s borders are now fully open, introducing Green Lanes at all China-Kazakhstan border crossings would further improve Kazakhstan’s transit efficiency and security.
Central Asia is leading the way in TIR digitalisation. All five Central Asian countries are now on their way to full TIR digitalisation with eTIR.
