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 ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½in recent years on transport, transit and trade in the region and beyond.
In particular, ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½has 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.
ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½looks forward to continuing its partnership with ECO on transport, transit and border crossing facilitation, including through digitalisation, to effectively boost the region¡¯s connectivity.