Tehran, April 24, 2024 (MRUD NEWS)—The joint road transport committee between Iran and Tajikistan was held today in Tehran and an MoU for promoting road and transport ties was signed by Darush Amani, head of Iran Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization (RMTO) and Deputy Minister of Tajikistan.
During the meeting, Amani pointed to the policy of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the development of relations with its neighboring countries in the region and called this possibility not only the beginning of a new era for strengthening road transport ties, but also the beginning of deepening relations in all fields which are deeply rooted in common language, background, culture and values.
He also pointed to the strategic location of Iran as a bridge connecting China and Central Asia with Western Asia and Europe, and on the other hand, the deep capacities of Iran's southern ports in accessing the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf, as a suitable, safe and short route for the Tajik fleet.
The Deputy Transport Minister of Tajikistan called the meeting an extraordinary opportunity to revive the great capacities between the two closely connected nations. She also emphasized the location of Tajikistan at the heart of Central Asia, as a country with hidden capacities in various fields of transportation as its historic role along the Silk Road indicates.
In the meeting, the two sides emphasized the necessity of using the capacities of international corridors such as the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Iran (KTAI) transport corridor, the southern route of the East-West corridor and the eastern part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
The two sides also discussed transit and trade records, improving road facilities, action plan for road services, exchanging traffic permits, notification of official border payment fees and avoiding informal payments, updating traffic and residence regulations, facilitation of visas, details of traffic problems in each countries' territory and participation in the Eurasian Unions and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
In the end, the head of the Tajik delegation invited the head of RMTO to participate in the international conference on "Road to Tien Shan" next month in May.
Previously in October 2022, the first freight train from Tajikistan transited through Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran's territories to the destination of Turkey while the launching ceremony was held in Dushanbe.