The countries of the Turkic Council are planning to step up the Trans-Caspian transport corridor during the coronavirus pandemic, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

An extraordinary meeting of the Ministers of Transport of the Turkic Council countries was held on April 30 in a video conference format. The parties discussed ways to ensure the continuity of transport operations in the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The ministers discussed the possibility of taking the necessary steps to facilitate transportation through the Trans-Caspian East-West transport corridor and mitigate the negative consequences of the global pandemic for the economies of the region,” the statement said.

In the online meeting the parties reportedly agreed to consider the possibility of providing mutual reliefs in such areas as transport quotas, transit documents, fees and driving visas between member states.

“They also discussed the reduction of fees on Ro-Ro lines along the Caspian Sea, the provision of the necessary additional transit documents and the mutual cancellation of fares,” the Foreign Ministry added.

In January 2016, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Ukraine signed a protocol on establishing competitive preferential tariffs for cargo transportation along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TCITR), which goes through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and further through Turkey and Ukraine to Europe. In October of the same year, the TCITR international association was established with an office in the capital of Kazakhstan.