IRU President Christian Labrot is in Astana this week at the second edition of the Eurasian Week International Forum highlighting the potential of road transport to drive Eurasia’s global competitiveness.
The efficient mobility of goods is crucial for the region – which is largely landlocked – and the continuing digitalisation of transit and logistics with tools such as TIR and e-CMR, offers huge opportunities to improve Eurasia’s global economic performance and to drive prosperity.
Speaking at the main plenary session on competitiveness in the changing world, Mr Labrot joins high level government representatives from the EAEU to analyse new models, technologies and management forms.
Providing some 2,400 participants from 41 countries with insight into current trade opportunities for the region, Mr Labrot stresses the significance of China’s Belt and Road initiative, which puts Eurasia at the critical intersection between East and West.
The conference addresses different paths of industrial development, from the creation of new models to the implementation of advanced innovations, and seeks to offer solutions to the challenge of integrating new paradigms into the existing economic landscape.
Boris Blanche, IRU Chief Operational Officer said,
“We have reached the tipping point in transport, where full digitalisation is well underway. IRU is keen to work with our partners in the Eurasian Economic Union and beyond to lead the way so that the benefits to trade and prosperity can unfold”.
Co-panelists at the session include the Prime-Ministers of Kazakhstan and Singapore, the Chairman of the EEC Board, Deputy Prime-Ministers of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Serbia, and the Minister of Commerce and Industry of Vietnam.
The Forum’s business programme includes 30 discussion platforms with over 250 speakers from 17 countries taking part in the events. IRU, together with the Eurasian Economic Commission, is hosting a session on the ever growing role of road transport in strengthening Eurasian integration on 24 August.