Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Azerbaijan succeeded to obtain positive results from the first sessions of bilateral workgroups, whose activities is stipulated by the decisions of the 1st regional seminar on European Commission’s technical project “Maritime Routes of the Black & Caspian Seas” hosted in Baku.

Akif Mustafayev, TRACECA national secretary on behalf of Azerbaijan, says that yesterday Azerbaijan national workgroup and reps of Turkmenistan had a meeting in Baku.

“Such status of the Turkmen party is linked with the fact the Turkmenistan is not a participant of the TRACECA Main Agreement and has not national secretary in this Organization,” Mustafayev said.

The is why the session involved the Azerbaijan national workgroup including TRACECA national secretary, two sector heads of the Transport Ministry, deputy heads of the Baku International Sea Trade Port, Azerbaijan State Caspian Shipping Company, Azerbaijan Railway Company (ADY), and on behalf of Turkmenistan – deputy head of Turkmenbashi port and deputy head of the State Maritime Administration of Turkmenistan.

“The Turkmen delegation had not authority for signing of a final agreement (it can be done later), but a range of arrangements was reached. In particular, the parties claimed readiness to liquidate fully vessel idleness in ports of Baku and Turkmenbashi. Both sides also stated about mutual readiness to ensure discounts for port tariffs and duties for fixed large cargo volumes,” Mustafayev said.

A day before this meeting, it was held a Baku session of the national workgroups of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. A similar meeting with the Georgian party was postponed for February.

Such workgroups are expected to allow revealing clearly problems (they have been examined thoroughly by the project contractor) and define measures on their removal.

At the first regional seminar held earlier in Baku the contractors presented overview of the current condition of affairs, including problems (tariffs, order of border crossing, etc), assessment of prospects.

For the purpose of raising TRACECA competitiveness it was coordinated a further program of actions, including simplification of the order of border crossing, tariff regulation, holding of seminars for TRACECA national secretaries, ministries, operators, and formation and activities of TRACECA participating countries’ bilateral workgroups. As a result, another regional seminar on the project can be organized in 2010.

As a result, another regional seminar on the project can be arranged in 2010.

The first seminar was preceded by national seminars.

The regional seminar involved TRACECA national secretaries, deputy transport ministers, state and independent experts, reps of the European Commission.

Within the project it is expected to assist to development of trade and transport in corridor Europe - Black Sea region – Caucasus – Central Asia through improvement of interaction of networks and multimodal transport in the Black and Caspian Seas. The project consultant is French company Egis BCEOM. The project duration is two years.

The project covers Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine.

28.01.2010 11:27