Dushanbe, May 26-27, 2025
The Second Meeting of the High-Level Working Group on the Tajikistan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Türkiye (TUTIT) Multimodal Corridor, co-organized by the Republic of Tajikistan and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Secretariat, convened on May 26, 2025, in Dushanbe. The Meeting was followed with back to back Workshop on the e-TIR implementation in Central Asia, including the TUTIT en-route states.
The session brought together high-level delegations from the Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, and Republic of Türkiye. Observers included representatives from the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China, the Regional Center for Transport Diplomacy, German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), UNECE, and the International Road Transport Union (IRU).
In his opening remarks, H.E. Mr. Azim Ibrohim, Minister of Transport of the Republic of Tajikistan, reaffirmed the strategic importance of the corridor in establishing an alternative trade route from China to Europe. He highlighted the corridor’s role in enhancing cargo transportation and simplifying trade procedures, particularly for landlocked countries in the region. Minister Ibrohim called for increased investment in digitalization and infrastructure to further develop and operationalize the corridor.
Mr. Alireza Mahmoudi, Director for Transport and Communications at the ECO Secretariat, outlined the initiative’s key objectives, including: facilitating cargo movement via road and rail; enhancing the efficiency of international freight traffic; and strengthening transport & trade links across the ECO region.
He emphasized the importance of infrastructure upgrades, digital integration, the harmonization of operational procedures, and the establishment of common tariffs to ensure seamless transit along the corridor.
The meeting featured in-depth discussions on adoption of a digitalization roadmap for freight transport; tariff structures and optimal routing; infrastructure development priorities; and planning a test-run to identify operational bottlenecks and logistical challenges.
The TUTIT corridor continues to gain momentum as a vital trade and connectivity route, enhancing regional integration and economic cooperation within the ECO region and beyond.
