On 15 May 2024, the 11th Regional Meeting of the National Trade Facilitation Committees of the Central Asian countries was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan with the participation of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The event was part of the regional project “Trade Facilitation in Central Asia”, implemented by GIZ (German Society for International Cooperation) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The meeting brought together delegates from ministries and departments responsible for trade policy, representatives of executive authorities responsible for customs, transport, phytosanitary and veterinary control at the border, as well as representatives of the private sector from five partner countries of Central Asia, USAID, the Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, etc.
The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Agency for Transport and Communications under the Cabinet of Ministers, the State Customs Service, the Association “Turkmen Logistics”, the State Plant Quarantine Service of Turkmenistan.
The meeting aimed to explore innovative trade facilitation methods, particularly digital initiatives. Discussions centered on:
• E-Phyto: A modern system for issuing electronic phytosanitary certificates.
• CART.IS: A comprehensive methodology for government support in digitizing trade procedures.
• Other digital solutions: Exploring additional tools to modernize and expedite trade processes.
In particular, a plan has been developed according to which Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will introduce data exchange on electronic phytosanitary certificates by the end of 2024.
Participants also discussed a Joint Action Plan to simplify trade procedures across Central Asia. Additionally, a roadmap was presented for digitizing multimodal data and document exchange along the Trans-Caspian transport corridor, aiming to optimize logistics and boost efficiency.
Following the meeting, the National Trade Facilitation Committees developed a Joint Action Plan to improve coordination and cooperation between partners for further trade facilitation in the Central Asian region. ///nCa, 17 May 2024 [photo credit – UzDaily, DKNews]