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Pakistan joins formation of corridor from Belarus to ports of Indian Ocean

"The Minister of Communications of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan signed this Memorandum, emphasizing the importance and significance of this project for the development of trade and economic relations and cargo transportation in the region," the statement reads

TASHKENT, September 19. /TASS/. Pakistan officially joined the formation of the multimodal corridor "Belarus - Russia - Kazakhstan - Uzbekistan - Afghanistan - Pakistan - ports of the Indian Ocean," the press service of the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan reported.

"On September 18, 2024, as part of international cooperation in the field of transport and logistics, Pakistan officially joined the Memorandum on mutual Understanding on the creation and development of International Transport Corridor 'Belarus - Russia - Kazakhstan - Uzbekistan - Afghanistan - Pakistan - Ports of the Indian Ocean.' (ITC) The Minister of Communications of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan signed this Memorandum, emphasizing the importance and significance of this project for the development of trade and economic relations and cargo transportation in the region," the statement said.

It was previously reported that the formation of the ITC began in August 2022 at the third meeting of the Joint Working Group on Interaction between the Government of Uzbekistan and the Eurasian Economic Commission. At the meeting, the Russian and Belarusian sides expressed special interest in the implementation of this project.

In November 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministers of Transport of Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which launched the active phase of work on the project. The first meeting of the working group on the development of the multimodal transport corridor was held in April 2024 in Termez, where the Ministry of Transport of Belarus joined the memorandum, and Afghanistan and Pakistan announced the implementation of domestic procedures to join the project. At the meeting a roadmap was signed, including specific plans for the development of cargo transportation, analysis of cargo flows, introduction of electronic digital documents and optimization of customs procedures.

The press service stressed that Pakistan's accession to this large-scale project marks an important step in strengthening regional trade ties and accelerating the process of international cargo transportation through the ITC. The parties expect that the ITC will become an important link in the transport system of Eurasia, providing convenient and efficient routes for the transit of goods, strengthening economic cooperation between the participating countries.

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