The implementation of TIR Green Lanes, eTIR and training capacity topped the agenda during the first meeting between IRU’s Secretary General and the new UN Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan.
The Secretary General of IRU, Umberto de Pretto, and Vepa Hajiyev, the new Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to the United Nations Office at Geneva, discussed the importance of road transport for Turkmenistan, a landlocked country at the heart of north-south and east-west connectivity.
Umberto de Pretto lauded the impressive progress made by Turkmenistan in building state-of-the-art road and port infrastructure. But he highlighted that Turkmenistan should further couple these hard infrastructure developments with efficient soft solutions to grow into a regional trade and transit hub connecting world economies and enhancing transit security.
Turkmenistan has already taken important steps in this direction. Notable measures include the digitalisation of customs procedures and connecting TIR-EPD to the integrated customs management system (ASYCUDA WORLD) for advance risk management.
Turkmenistan has also established dedicated lanes for secure TIR transport at ten border crossings with Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to prioritise customs clearance for TIR transport, as communicated in an IRU Flash Info last May.
Umberto de Pretto and Vepa Hajiyev also weighed measures to strengthen training capacities for transport managers and drivers in Turkmenistan and offer IRU training programmes to road transport professionals. Harmonised training and certification compliant with high-level international quality standards are required to maximise transport efficiency, road safety and decarbonisation efforts.
They concluded their discussion by exploring plans for the 2024 World Sustainable Transport Day. Turkmenistan played a pivotal role in advancing the idea of a World Sustainable Transport Day and facilitating the adoption of the UN resolution.