TRACECA Secretary General:  Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty to allow  unblocking of regional transport communication

ArmInfo.The signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan is very important, as is the establishment of diplomatic relations between these countries.  Asset Assavbayev, Secretary-General of TRACECA told reporters today, on the sidelines of a Ministerial Meeting of Landlocked Developing  Countries, answering a question about blocking access to the seas by Azerbaijan and Turkey.

According to the TRACECA Secretary General, the platform presented  today is economically oriented and there are other formats for  discussing policy-related issues. "We are looking forward to the  signing of a peace treaty, which will allow us to unblock transport  communications, and this, in turn, will have a positive impact on  both the economies of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the  economies of other states in the region," the TRACECA Secretary  General noted.

He added that landlocked countries, including Armenia, have much  higher transport costs, which are often twice the costs of landlocked  countries when trading with other countries. Therefore, to solve this  problem, a format approved by the UN is used, which is aimed at  creating equal trading conditions with coastal countries. "Thus, 33  states, including both Armenia and transit states providing transit  of goods and vehicles, undertake to implement the UN Vienna Program  aimed at creating the necessary mechanisms to simplify trade,  accelerate the transit of goods and vehicles and eliminate barriers,"  Assavbayev emphasized, pointing out in this regard the importance of  this platform for all countries that do not have direct access to the  sea.

TRACECA Secretary General emphasized that the main agreement, which  was signed 25 years ago, is aimed at developing trade and transport  links. TRACECA resolves these issues within the framework of its  powers by harmonizing transport policies, removing barriers when  crossing borders, and creating legal conditions. For example, an  agreement on a single transit permit within the TRACECA framework is  currently being promoted, according to which transit countries should  provide access to the sea to countries that do not have such access,  which means refusing to obtain transport permits in each individual  country.  The issue of border crossing rules is also on the agenda.

On December 14, a two-day Ministerial Meeting of Landlocked  Developing Countries, entitled "Promoting equal, affordable and  inclusive transport connectivity for stable and resilient economies",   kicked off in Yerevan.  This is one of the largest events ever  organized in Armenia jointly with the UN.

The event is a formal thematic meeting organized ahead of the Third  Conference of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) to be held in  Kigali in June, 2024.  The event is attended by more than 30 foreign  delegations, including representatives of landlocked developing and  transit countries, in particular, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of  Botswana and Nepal, the Ministers of Transport of Zimbabwe, Eswatini  and Lesotho, the Minister of Tourism of Malawi, the Deputy Ministers  of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay and Georgia, Deputy Ministers of  Transport of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan.  The event is also  attended by representatives of international organizations, such as  UN Uder Secretary-General and High Representative for Landlocked  Developing Countries Rabab Fatima, Executive Secretary of the UN  Economic Commission for Europe Tatiana Molchan, TRACECA Secretary  General Asset Assavbaev, Deputy Director General of the World Trade  Organization.  The Secretaries General of Economic and Social  Commissions of UN Africa, as well as UN Asia and the Pacific, the  World Customs Organization and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation  will deliver video messages.