4^th ECO Ministerial meeting 

on Transport & Communications,  

Izmir (Turkey),  September 26-27, 2002

Press Release

            Ministers of Transport and Communications from ten ECO member states, representing a population of over 340 million, will gather in Izmir, Turkey on September 26-27, 2002 to discuss issues relating to the development of a seamless movement of cargo and passengers within ECO region and beyond. This is the fourth such meeting since the 3-member organization was expanded in 1992 to 10-member thriving regional organization. Earlier Ministerial meetings in the field of transport & communications were held in October 1993 (Almaty), March 1998 (Ashgabat) and April 2000 (Islamabad) respectively.

            Transport and communication constitutes one of the three top priority areas for the organization. The geographic isolation of the majority of ECO member states from the global markets and the present condition of poor infrastructure made it absolutely essential that the member states may pool their resources to develop this sector. Without the development of this vital sector and construction of missing road and rail links, the landlocked members are likely to suffer high costs of transportation for their imports and exports, restraining them to benefit from the advantages of the globalization process.   

            The meeting is likely to review the progress made in the past 10 years, particularly with respect to the Quetta Plan of Action, Almaty Outline Plan and the Programme of Action for the ECO Decade of Transport and Communications (1997-2008). In this context, the Ministers will deliberate on the early operationalization of the Transit Trade Agreement (1995) and the Transit Transport Framework Agreement (1998) to put in place a creditable transit regime in the region. Other important issues which are likely to engage their attention will include discussion on how should the ECO governments deal with the existing limited institutional capacity in the region, effect harmonization of rules and regulations in different countries as well as adoption of region-wide railway transit tariff & insurance policy, etc.

            In this important field, the ECO members, which are capital deficient, face daunting challenges. Only their collective commitment and resolve have led and will lead to many achievements which are substantive. This year, a ‘demonstration container train’ started running from Istanbul to Almaty, reviving the ancient trading (railway) links.  Now, the goods from the Central Asian Republics can,  for the first time in past 80 years,  will transit through Iran and Turkey to world markets. A pilot passenger train is carried into effect on March 14-21, 2002 and regular run of this train likely to start from the coming month of October, along the same route.

            The meeting will be chaired by the Turkish Minister of Transport Prof. Naci Kinacioglu. The Islamic Republic of Iran will be represented by Mr. Ahmad Khorram, Minister of Roads & Transportation; the Republic of Kazakhstan by Mr. Kazhmurat Nagmanov, Minister of Transport & Communications; the Kyrgyz Republic by Mr. K.M. Jumaliev, Deputy Prime Minster and Minister of Transport & Communications; the Islamic Republic of Pakistan by Mr. Iftikhar Rashid, Deputy Minister/Secretary of Communications; the Republic of Tajikistan by Mr. Abdujalol Salimov, Minister of Transport; and the Republic of Uzbekistan by Mr. Rustam Yunusov, Deputy Prime Minister.

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