Speech by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries

Dear heads of delegations!

First of all, I express my sincere gratitude to the President of Turkmenistan, dear Serdar Gurbangulyevich Berdimuhamedov and the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty, respected Gurbanguly Myalikgulyevich Berdimuhamedov for the warm welcome and organization of today’s conference at a high level.

It is symbolic that the forum is being held in beautiful Avaza - the pearl of the Caspian Sea in the International Year of Peace and Trust, proclaimed United Nations on the initiative of the Turkmen side.

Uzbekistan highly appreciates and strongly supports the efforts of Turkmenistan aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring global and regional stability and prosperity.

I express special gratitude to the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, for his personal attention to promoting the problems of countries without access to sea as priority international issues.

We fully support the Avaza Political Declaration and will take an active part in the implementation of the ten-year Program of Action.

Dear forum participants!

The issues discussed at this conference are of vital importance to all of us.

I would like to note that our country’s access to sea communications is possible only through the territory of several states. The geographical distance from the ports - in our case it is almost three thousand kilometers - creates a number of objective problems. They are manifested in high tariffs, limited capacity of transport corridors and infrastructures, as well as dependence on the customs and transit policies of other states.

According to the World Bank, due to high transport costs and the instability of the transit system, the Central Asian region loses up to two percent of GDP annually. Logistics costs account for up to 60 percent of the total cost of goods, which is several times higher than the global average.

In this regard, the development of new reliable transit corridors and logistics infrastructure becomes an important condition for sustainable progress in Central Asia.

The agenda that unites us today addresses a fundamental issue - the question of justice. This is to provide landlocked states with the opportunity to participate in the world economy on equal terms.

To solve this very urgent task, three fundamental conditions must be met. This is the modernization of infrastructure as the basis for sustainable development, strengthening interconnectedness in order to prevent transit problems and the realization of the right to development as a key element of global equality.

I would like to emphasize that for this purpose, in recent years, Uzbekistan has taken systematic steps to form a modern transport and logistics network with the active involvement of the private sector.

Our country shows high dynamics in matters of openness and logistics transparency. A set of measures is being implemented to digitalize trade and transport processes.

The ongoing structural economic reforms, liberalization of the trade system and a radical improvement in the investment climate are producing tangible results. Competitiveness has increased and innovative development has accelerated.

The achievement of a new level of trust and partnership in Central Asia gave a powerful impetus to dynamic transformations. Today, a unified transport and logistics space is being formed in our region. Programs and projects are being implemented aimed at transforming Central Asia into a full-fledged transit hub between East and West, North and South. In recent years, the volume of mutual trade has increased 4.5 times, investments have doubled. The number of joint ventures has increased fivefold.

This year, together with our partners, we began construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. Freight traffic along the transport corridor Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Iran – Turkey has increased significantly.

Dear conference participants!

Today, specific, practical and institutionally supported solutions to overcome common challenges and problems are extremely important.

In this regard Uzbekistan offers the following.

Firstly,coordinated actions are needed for the rapid development of international transport corridors and infrastructure.

We stand for accelerating the preparation and implementation of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway construction project. Connecting this promising corridor with the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway under construction will open up great opportunities for the formation of a new trade and economic space and sustainable transport infrastructure in our vast region.

We also give priority to the development of the Middle Corridor. To fully utilize it, it is important, first of all, to implement a coordinated transit policy, unify rules and introduce optimal tariffs for container cargo transportation.

Secondly,we propose to develop, under the auspices of the United Nations, a global agreement on transit guarantees for landlocked countries.

Such a mechanism will ensure conditions for fair access to ports and communications, reduce the risks of cargo transportation, and serve to reduce inequality in global logistics.

Thirdly,the demand for flexible investment instruments for financing large infrastructure projects is growing.

The need of Central Asian countries for investment in the development of transport infrastructure is estimated at almost 40 billion dollars a year.

In this regard, we propose to establish, under the auspices of the United Nations, a Fund for the Promotion of Logistics Integration of Countries, landlocked. It is advisable to widely attract resources from donor countries, international development institutions and global programs to the fund.

Fourth,we are taking the initiative to develop a global Vulnerability Index for landlocked countries.

It will become an effective tool for objectively determining the limitations of our countries’ capabilities in the field of transit, expanding international financial and technical programs and efficient allocation of resources taking into account real conditions.

The most important thing is that this index should be taken into account when making a fair assessment of the competitiveness and business climate of our countries.

Fifthly,we consider it fundamentally important to implement the proposal to create an innovative hub in Uzbekistan for the development of the agricultural sector.

The hub will serve the introduction of adaptive agricultural technologies, promotion of innovative water saving projects and ensuring food security, exchange of knowledge and experience.

Sixth,it is important to actively involve leading experts and think tanks of our countries in the development of specific proposals for jointly overcoming common challenges.

We propose to hold a number of international forums and round tables on this topic. The agenda of such events could include issues of ensuring deep integration of our countries into global production chains, accelerated development of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, expanding cross-border investment, and supporting start-ups.

Uzbekistan also intends to join the activities of the International Analytical Center for Landlocked Countries.

Dear heads of delegations!

Access to global markets should be equal for everyone. This is not just an economic necessity. This is, first of all, an important condition for sustainable development, trust and cooperation in international relations.

I would like to emphasize once again that Uzbekistan is always open and ready for a constructive and long-term partnership to form a more equitable architecture for global development.

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