BSEC-URTA is proud to contribute to the OECD Study -Realising the Potential of the “Middle Corridor.”
OECD presented its initial findings and recommendations of its report “Realising the Potential of the Middle Corridor” on 6th November 2023 in the OECD Istanbul Centre with the participation of esteemed private sector participants and key public actors.
The final report of OECD will be presented at OECD Eurasia Week in Paris on 12-14 December. This significant report on logistic chains and mobility between Europe and Central Asia was prepared through online surveys and qualitative interviews.
Important notes from the report :
-The OECD conducted a policy consultation with 170+ respondents to identify the bottlenecks and reform needs in four countries-Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye
-Qualitative interviews complemented the questionnaires were realized by AIIB, WB, ITC, TRACECA, EBRD, UNECE, TITR, IRU and BSEC-URTA
-About Ports: There is severe congestion at Black Sea and Caspian ports, insufficient ferry fleet in the Caspian and, low frequencies and unreliable crossing times in the Caspian, most importantly, absence of fixed timetables in the Caspian Sea
-Poor quality of roads and lack of road-side facilities for drivers
-The studies showed that the private sector is still largely excluded from strategic discussions about the route’s development, and increased involvement at the regional level within the framework of international organizations is needed (BSEC-URTA, IRU, TRACECA, TITR Association)
-To develop the institutional tools for developing the Middle Corridor, defining an institutional framework for the coordination body, publishing a long-term infrastructure development plan, and monitoring and updating the plan are necessary.
IRU Istanbul General Delegate Mr. Erman Ereke and BSEC-URTA Deputy Secretary General Alpdogan Kahraman participated in the roundtable meeting and presented their view on the initial findings and recommendations of OECD on the Middle Corridor.
As BSEC-URTA International Secretariat, we thank the OECD team for their efforts dedicated to the logistics and connectivity concerning the BSEC region and the Middle Corridor.
