Today, the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev presented an address in the third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Avaza National Tourist Zone in Turkmenbashi, the presidential press service said.

“Uzbekistan fully supports the Avaza Political Declaration and will take an active part in the implementation of its ten-year action program.”

“The items discussed at the conference are of vital importance for landlocked countries. Uzbekistan’s access to the sea is possible only across the territory of several states. The geographical remoteness from ports — in our case, it is almost 3,000 kilometers — creates a number of objective problems. They are manifested in high tariffs, limited capacity of transport corridors and infrastructure, as well as dependence on the customs and transit policies of other countries”.

“According to the World Bank, due to high transport costs and instability of the transit system, the Central Asian region annually loses up to 2% to GDP. Logistics costs make up to 60% of the total cost of goods, which is several times higher than the global average.”

"In this regard, the development of new reliable transit corridors and logistics infrastructure is becoming an important condition for sustainable progress in Central Asia."

"The agenda that unites us today touches on a fundamental issue - the issue of justice. This is providing landlocked states with the opportunity to participate in the global economy on equal terms. To solve this problem, in his opinion, three fundamental conditions must be met: modernization of infrastructure, strengthening connectivity in order to prevent transit problems and the implementation of the right to development as a key element of global equality.”

“A unified transport and logistics space is being formed in Central Asia as we speak. Programs and projects aimed at turning Central Asia into a full-fledged transit hub between East and West, North and South are being implemented. Construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway has begun. Freight traffic along the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Turkey transport corridor has increased significantly.”

"Today, specific, practical and institutionally supported solutions to overcome common challenges and problems are extremely important," the President of Uzbekistan said and put forward a number of proposals:

Development of transport corridors

“Coordinated actions are needed for the accelerated development of international transport corridors and infrastructure”.

"We advocate for swift preparation and implementation of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway project. Connecting this promising corridor with the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway under construction will open up great opportunities for the formation of a new trade and economic space and sustainable transport infrastructure in our vast region".

“Uzbekistan also attaches priority importance to the development of the Middle Corridor. For its full implementation, it is important, first of all, to implement a coordinated transit policy, unify rules and introduce optimal tariffs for container cargo transportation".

Transit guarantees for landlocked countries

“We propose to draft a global agreement on transit guarantees for landlocked countries under the auspices of the UN.”

"Such a mechanism will ensure conditions for fair access to ports and communications, reduce the risks of cargo transportation, and serve to reduce inequality in global logistics".

Investments

“The demand for flexible investment instruments for financing large infrastructure projects is growing. The Central Asian countries need for investments in the development of transport infrastructu is estimated at almost 40 billion dollars per year”.

“In this regard, I propose to set up a Fund for Assistance to the Logistics Integration of Landlocked Countries under the auspices of the UN. It is advisable to widely attract resources from donor countries, international development institutions and global programs to the fund.”

Vulnerability Index

“We put forward an initiative to develop a global Vulnerability Index for landlocked countries, which would become an effective tool for objectively determining the limitations of our countries' capabilities in the area of transit, expanding international financial and technical programs and effectively distributing resources taking into account real conditions".

"The most important thing is that this index should be taken into account in a fair assessment of the competitiveness and business climate of our countries."

Innovations and experts

“Uzbekistan proposes to creating an innovation hub on its territory to develop the agricultural sector. It will to serve the introduction of adaptive agricultural technologies, the promotion of innovative water conservation projects and food security, and the exchange of knowledge and experience.”

“It is important that of major experts and think tanks of landlocked countries join in developing specific proposals for jointly overcoming common challenges. He proposed holding a number of international forums and round tables on this topic.

"The agenda of such events could include issues of ensuring the deep integration of our countries into global production chains, the accelerated development of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, the expansion of cross-border investment, and support for start-ups".

“Uzbekistan intends to join the activities of the International Analytical Center for Landlocked Countries. Access to global markets should be equal for everyone. This is not only an economic necessity. This is, first of all, an important condition for sustainable development, trust and cooperation in international relations," he concluded.