DUSHANBE, September 15, 2009, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan sets an example for other Central Asia’s states, simplifying procedures for automobile transport to cross its border, visiting Secretary General of the International Road and Transport Union (IRU), Mr. Martin Marmi, remarked during a meeting with reporters in Dushanbe on September 15 following his talks with President Emomali Rahmon.
“During the talks, Mr. President, senior representatives from the Ministry of Transport and Communications as well as Tajik Association of Road Transport Operators have supported our plans for development of automobile transportation in Central Asia,” Mr. Marmi said.
He also noted that IRU and the Government of Tajikistan signed a memorandum of cooperation in developing transportation of cargoes and commodities via the territory of Tajikistan.
“According to statistics, some 45 percent of the automobile transportation time is spent for document processing and border control and our task is to reduce these procedures to the minimum,” said the IRU secretary general, “Demurrage of vehicles on the border affects quality and prices of commodities, you know. Yesterday, I visited the Tajik-Uzbek border and talked to haulers. According them, the simplest border crossing procedures in the region are in Tajikistan.”
Mr. Marmi also told reporters that they were currently working on joining Tajikistan to multilateral and international agreements on the automobile transportation.
“In the near future, we are going to consider the issue of opening of the IRU Academy in your country,” he said.
