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TEHRAN \u2013 Iranian Transport and Urban Development Minister Farzaneh Sadegh has expressed Iran\u2019s readiness for hosting the upcoming meeting of the TRACECA ministers which is due to be held in February 2025.<\/p>\n
Sadegh made the remarks in a meeting with TRACECA Corridor Secretary General Asset Assavbayev in Tehran on Saturday, IRNA reported.<\/p>\n
During a two-day trip, Assavbayev traveled to Astara from the headquarters of the TRASICA secretariat in Baku and visited the railway and road lines of this route, and finally came to Tehran to discuss the preparations for holding the meeting of TRASICA ministers and transferring the chairmanship of the TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission to Iran.<\/p>\n
As reported, in the meeting with Assavbayev, the Iranian side presented the Islamic Republic\u2019s initiatives for the chairmanship of TRCECA, including increasing the cooperation of the member countries of TRASICA and promoting Iran’s transit role in the region.<\/p>\n
TRACECA corridor is involved in gradually developing trends of trade and economic development. Major traffic flows passing through a corridor formed on the one hand, in Western and Central Europe, and on the other – in Central and South-East Asia.<\/p>\n
The attractiveness of TRACECA countries is confirmed by their interest in extending regional cooperation and development services.<\/p>\n
After the completion of the Strategy implementation with the support of the European Union Technical Assistance projects the TRACECA countries are prepared to get down to a new stage of the Europe-the Caucasus-Asia corridor development.<\/p>\n
TRACECA\u00a0(acronym:\u00a0Transport\u00a0Corridor\u00a0Europe-Caucasus-Asia) is an international\u00a0transport\u00a0program involving the\u00a0European Union\u00a0and 12 member states of the Eastern European, Caucasus, and Central Asian region.\u00a0The program aim is to strengthen economic relations, trade, and transport in the regions of the\u00a0Black Sea\u00a0basin,\u00a0South Caucasus, and Central Asia. It has a permanent Secretariat, originally financed by the\u00a0European Commission, in\u00a0Baku, Azerbaijan, and a regional office in\u00a0Odesa, Ukraine. Since 2009, the organization has been entirely financed by member countries.<\/p>\n
TRACECA was established in May 1993 in\u00a0Brussels, upon the signing of a Multilateral Agreement on International Transport for the development of transport initiatives (including the establishment and development of a road corridor) between the\u00a0EU member states,\u00a0Eastern European,\u00a0Caucasus\u00a0and\u00a0Central Asian\u00a0countries. The program supports the political and economic independence of\u00a0former Soviet Union\u00a0republics through enhancing their access to\u00a0European\u00a0and global markets through road, rail and sea.\u00a0The objectives of TRACECA were underlined by the\u00a0Baku Initiative\u00a0of 2004,\u00a0followed by a further ministerial conference in\u00a0Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2006.<\/p>\n
Iran officially joined TRACECA in 2009 after their request was accepted during a meeting held in Brussels.<\/p>\n
In 1996,\u00a0Mongolia\u00a0was granted observer status.<\/p>\n
In 2009,\u00a0Lithuania\u00a0was granted observer status.<\/p>\n
In July 2016,\u00a0Greece\u00a0announced they are considering joining TRACECA activities as an observer. In March 2018, Greece was granted observer status during a meeting held in\u00a0Yerevan.<\/p>\n
TRACECA has five working groups: maritime transport, aviation, road and rail, transport security, and transport infrastructure. Amongst its specific projects, was the creation of a new bridge to replace and protect the heritage\u00a0Red Bridge, located between Georgia and Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n
In July 2023, it was announced for TRACECA to join the\u00a0eTIR\u00a0international system.<\/p>\n
EF\/MA<\/p>\n