Central Asian trade facilitation issues discussed in Almaty
The 11th Regional Meeting of the National Trade Facilitation Committees of Central Asian Countries took place in Almaty. Representatives of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan participated in it, UzA reports.
The event, organized by GIZ, was attended by ministries responsible for trade policy, representatives of executive authorities involved in customs, transport, phytosanitary, and veterinary control at the border, representatives of the private sector from five partner countries of Central Asia, and employees of such international organizations as USAID, the Commercial Law Development Program and the UN Economic Commission for Europe.
From Uzbekistan, the event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Transport, the Agency for Quarantine and Plant Protection, the Committee for Veterinary Medicine and Livestock Development, and the Association of International Road Carriers of Uzbekistan.
The participants discussed innovative solutions in trade facilitation, including digital initiatives such as E-Phyto (an innovative system of electronic phytosanitary certificates). In particular, a plan was developed according to which Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan will introduce data exchange on electronic phytosanitary certificates by the end of 2024.
The issue of promoting trade in Central Asia was discussed at the conference. A roadmap was presented for digitalizing the multimodal exchange of data and documents along the Trans-Caspian transport corridor, optimizing logistics, and increasing efficiency.
Following the meeting, the National Trade Facilitation Committees developed a Joint Action Plan to improve coordination and cooperation among partners to facilitate regional trade.