Baku, December 1, AZERTAC
Agreement on Transit and Transport Cooperation (Lapis Lazuli) is a significant contribution to regional stability and it would support the economic development of Afghanistan, according to orient.tm. Natalia Gherman, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG), Head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), said it, commenting the outcomes of the International Transport Conference on Lapis Lazuli transport corridor held in Avaza.
Turkmenistan made great efforts to set up this Transit Agreement and created all necessary multimodal transit infrastructure, which was once again demonstrated at the meeting of Ministers of Transport of the States Parties to the Lapis Lazuli project, the Special Representative added.
“I am also pleased to note the participation of Uzbekistan in recent conference, although the country is not yet a member party to the Lapis Lazuli Transport Corridor Agreement. It indicates the significance of this initiative both for the States Parties to the Agreement, and for the whole region,” Ms Gherman said.
For the UNRCCA, the support of the countries of the Central Asian region to involve Afghanistan through political dialogue, economic co-operation and interaction has become one of the priorities, the Special Representative underlined.
Lapis Lazuli Agreement also promotes initiatives by the UN General Assembly on sustainable transport that make a substantial contribution to the implementation of the UNGA Resolution “Strengthening the links between all modes of transport to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals” proposed by Turkmenistan and adopted on December 20, 2017.
The Head of UNRCCA is confident that the creation of transport and transit corridors would affect the improvement of transport links on domestic routes, including public transport to ensure the mobility of people and goods. New jobs in all parts of the chain – from production of goods to their delivery to the European markets – will be opposed to the threat of terrorism, as well as to the production and distribution of drugs.