Landlocked developing countries stand for development of multimodal transport systems - statement

ASHGABAT. Aug 16 (Interfax) - The final statement of the participants of the ministerial transport conference for landlocked developing countries in Avaza, Turkmenistan, calls for the promotion of regional interconnectivity and integrated multimodal transport systems, the Turkmen news agency Orient reported on Tuesday.

"The document calls for the promotion of corridors and regional interconnectivity, integrated multimodal transport systems and seamless transport and trade links," the statement said.

Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov chaired the forum's concluding session. He summarized the two days of the conference, its outcomes and outlined solutions and discussions within the thematic sections, and the statements made by the ministers, based on which the final document was drawn up.

Meredov noted that the statement highlights the increasing role of transport interconnectivity for the sustainable recovery of landlocked countries following the Covid-19 pandemic, calls for expanding this interconnectivity and accelerating the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action.

The final statement recognizes that while transport activities have begun to recover from the pandemic at the global level, the process is still unsteady, and landlocked developing countries are being left behind, the minister said. Therefore, the allocated funds can make a significant difference in the development of sustainable transport infrastructure.

The joint statement also points out that for landlocked countries to achieve better interconnectivity, it is important to boost cooperation with all parties involved, and to promote their transition to energy sources and technologies with low CO2 emissions, given that climate change may disrupt transit, trade supply chains.

The document calls for increased investment and financing of projects in landlocked countries from a variety of sources, and notes the importance of regular high-level meetings as part of the Ashgabat process, multilateral consultations, confidence-building measures and training activities.

The Ministerial Transport Conference for Landlocked Developing Countries was held in Turkmenistan's Avaza tourist zone on August 15-16.