1.
The Programme of Action for ECO Transport and Communication Decade and
the construction of oil and gas pipelines in the ECO region be recognized as
an urgent need and priority goal.
2. To
evolve a mutually agreed tariff policy and seek harmony of technical standards
for the railway transport of the ECO region, recommendations may be formulated
by the concerned experts of the respective countries to ensure successful
development and effective operation of Trans-Asian railway and to facilitate
expansion of trade, tourism and economic cooperation among ECO countries.
3.
The inauguration of Tejen-Seraks-Mashhad railway line as bridgeheads
linking the Central Asian member countries and Azerbaijan to the ports in the
Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea as well as with European countries through road
and railway connection to Black Sea and Mediterranean ports via Turkey and the
finalization of arrangements for the use of Karakoram highway for facilitating
commercial and trade exchanges among Member States are positive developments.
Existing expertise and resources in the ECO region be mobilized to complete
the inter-connection of road and railway routes including the construction of
missing links.
In
this regard, the concerned authorities in the Member States may undertake
necessary measures towards completion of remaining road and railway links
within the ECO region as envisaged in the Almaty Outline Plan providing
Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan with access to adequate sea port facilities of Iran, Pakistan and
Turkey with special priority to the transit roads connecting Kazakstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan with the ports of Karachi
and Gawadar through Afghanistan, in accordance with their mutual agreements.
Similarly,
priority be given to the completion of railway lines between Kerman and
Zahedan; Bafq and Mashhad, Kars-Aktas-Boyuk-Kasik-Baku, expeditious
implementation of feasibility studies, surveys and engineering, construction
works and upgrading in the Kushka-Herat-Kandahar-Chaman and
Termez-Khairaton-Mazar Sharif-Herat-Kandahar-Chaman, Andijan-Torugart railway
lines as well as Eraliev-Turkmenbashi-Gazanjyk-Bender Torkeman and between
Astara (Azerbaijan)-Rasht-Qazvin; and
Kuliab-Kalay-Khumb-Khorog-Murgab-Karakorum Highway,
Almaty-Bishkek-Torugart-Gilgit-Hassanabdal and Andizhan-osh-Irkeshtam,
Nizhiniy Pyanj-Sherkan Bander-Kabul and Beneu-Akiigit-Kungrat-Khojeylli roads,
Termez-Hairatan-Mazari Sharif-Kabul-Jalalabad-Peshawar-Karachi,
Herat-Frah-Kandahar-Quetta-Karachi/Gwadar, Roads connecting Ashgabat with the
port (s) of Karachi/Gawadar passing through Sinboldok-Kandahar-Herat and the
road linking Termez with Herat through Shebergan-Maimana. Chahoahar-Zahedan
Railway, Arak-Khosravi Railway, Kerman-Ravar-Dhyhuk roadway,
Kerman-Shahdad-Nehbandan-Zabol, Poldasht to Marand-Urumieh, Sanandaj,
Khorramabad, Ahvaz, Khorramshahr, Abadan, and Bandar Imam roadway,
Miyane-Ardebil-Parsabad (Iran)-Imishli (Azerbaijan), Sadarak (Azerbaijan)-Kars
(Turkey) Balykchi-Osh-Andizhan, Baku-Guymyzy Korpu-Hopa-Trabzon Highway,
construction of road bridges across Amudarya river in district Farab.
The
Ministers of Transport, in their forthcoming meeting scheduled to be held at
Ashgabat in December 1997 shall review and finalize the above routes as part
of the Programme of Action for Transport and Communication Decade in the ECO
region.
4. Concrete
steps be taken to expedite the development and operation of Istanbul-Tehran
Mashhad-Seraks-Tejen-Charjev-Tashkent-Almaty-Aktogai-Druzbha Trans-Asian
Railways which is titled as “Silk Railway Route” and the route
Ashgabat-Turkmenistan-Baku of the TRACECA project to promote international
trade and socio-cultural interaction among the people of the region.
5. In
view of the urgent need for the development of ECO region’s rolling-stocks,
a close cooperation of ECO Member
States be promoted for manufacturing and repairing of
locomotives, passenger carriages, freight cars containers and other
railway equipment, using ECO countries own resources as well as preferential
credits of international financial institutions issued under the guarantee of
the Governments of ECO Member States and other financial source.
6. Possibility
of establishing regional consortiums to develop ECO road and railway networks
and road infrastructure in conformity with international standards may be
examined by the concerned experts in the Member States and submitted for
consideration during the next ECO Summit Meeting.
The
conclusion of an Agreement between Kazakstan and Turkmenistan for the
establishment of a consortium under the chairmanship of H.E. Mr. Saparmurat
Niyazov, the President of Turkmenistan to construct missing railway link on
Eraliev-Bekdash-Turkmenbashi-Bender Torkmen or Ozen-Gyzylgaya-Gazanjyk-Bender
Torkeman of the North-South transport corridor is a concrete input in the
regional cooperation. Other ECO Member States may also consider their
participation in order to extend the scope and positive results of this
venture on a multilateral basis.
7. The
operationalization of ECO Shipping Company signifies the potential that the
ECO region possesses in developing and promoting the trade and commercial
relations of the member countries with each other as well as with other
regions. Those Member States which are not signatory to this project may
consider the possibility of their joining it and extending assistance and
facilities to ensure efficient and successful operation of the Company.
8. In
order to facilitate the operationalization of the ECO Air for the movement of
passengers and cargo, those Member States which are not signatory to this
project may facilitate the proper, efficient and successful operation of ECO
Air project.
9. Since TAEFOS (Trans-Asian-European Fiber Optic System) linking all the
countries of the region is expected to be operational in 1997, ACIS System
(United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s automated system for
customs data) compatible with other systems may be introduced in each ECO
Member State with the technical assistance of UNCTAD/UNDP.
10. Expedite
formulation and finalization of the draft transit transport framework
agreement with the technical assistance of the Islamic Development Bank, ESCAP
and UNCTAD.
11. To
promote trade within the ECO region, ECO Member States should finalize the
establishment of their Guaranteeing Associations
in accordance with the provisions of the Customs Convention on International
Transportation of Goods (Carnet TIR 1975).
12. With
the completion of requisite formalities, the ECO Transit Trade Agreement shall
come in force in near future. In this regard, the establishment of the
Committee on Transit Trade during 1997 in Ashgabat would facilitate commercial
interaction and flow of goods within the ECO region.
13. With
its rich natural resources in the fields of oil, gas and electricity, trained
manpower and infrastructure, ECO region has the potential and resources to
become one of the prosperous regions of the world. Regional cooperation in
these fields and maximum utilization of the existing resources and potential
of ECO Member States will prompt complementarities of their economies, enhance
productivity, technical and economic viability, optimal utilization of energy
supply and contribute to their improvement of ECO region’s socio-economic
environment.
In
pursuance of above, a High Level Experts Task Group be set up to recommend
within a specific time frame measures for the expeditious implementation of
agreed projects, determine viable future routes within the overall regional
perspective and suggest policy courses envisaging oil and gas pipelines
providing land-locked oil and gas producing ECO member countries with safe,
stable and economically expedient access to international markets within as
well as across the ECO region, according to bilateral and multilateral
agreements.
14.Ensuring
a meaningful development of economic cooperation and providing the land-locked
oil and gas producing ECO member countries with access to world markets is to
be recognized as an urgent need. In this regard, the possibility of the
establishment of regional consortiums to construct the following oil and gas
pipelines may be considered:
Oil
Pipeline:
Gas
Pipelines:
- Turkmenistan-Iran-Turkey
to Europe;
- Uzbekistan
and Turkmenistan via Afghanistan to Pakistan.
In
addition to the above routes, Turkmenistan has proposed a new gas pipeline
starting from Turkmenistan to East Asia via Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan
as well as from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan through Caspian Sea and to Turkey
which shall also be considered by an Adhoc Committee as soon as possible.
In
this regard, ECO member countries may also furnish competitive and economically
most profitable projects envisaging oil and gas exploration, development and
transportation to ECO Secretariat, which shall arrange and coordinate an Adhoc
Committee to examine and prepare a framework document including agreed technical
and other policies in the field of oil and gas transportation and submit it to
the next ECO Summit.
15. In
order to promote safe and effective parallel functioning of power systems of ECO
Member States and bearing in mind the decisions contained in the Quetta Plan of
Action adopted on 6-7 February, 1993, the parties endorse the establishment of a
joint power system of the region.
16. An
ECO Permanent Commission on Trnasport and Communications be established. Working
mechanism of this permanent body which is agreed to be located in Ashgabat,
Turkmenistan be worked out and approved by the Council of Ministers.
