Minister: SPECA plays positive role in promoting regional & global economic integration

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

SPECA (the United Nations Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia) plays a positive role in promoting regional and global economic integration between member countries, Azernews reports with reference to Azerbaijan’s Digital Development and Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev.

He made the remarks at a high-level conference on “digital transportation of information exchange in supply chains using United Nations standards” for SPECA countries, held in Baku on October 31.

The minister added that SPECA also plays a positive role in attracting financial resources to finance national priorities and encouraging the implementation of UNECE and UNESCAP standards.

Moreover, Rashad Nabiyev briefed about the construction of modern transport and logistics infrastructure in Azerbaijan in recent years.

“Construction of various roads and railways, commissioning of new international airports, construction of the Baku International Sea Trade Port, and creation of Alat Free Economic Zone have turned Azerbaijan into an international transport and logistics center,” he said.

The minister stressed that today, Azerbaijan continues to invest in transport infrastructure, especially roads and railways in Karabakh, and is restoring the region’s historical connections by linking the northern transport networks to the southern and eastern networks.

The conference was co-organized by Azerbaijan’s Digital Development and Transport Ministry, the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

The event, aimed at applying international standards in the development of digital transport links between SPECA countries, was attended by representatives of relevant agencies of the member countries, UN, and other international institutions, as well as the private sector.

The conference was addressed by senior officials from relevant organizations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, heads, and representatives of international institutions, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Executive Secretary Olga Algayerova. The speakers highlighted the importance of the conference and spoke about the projects to be implemented jointly.

The United Nations Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) was launched in 1998 to strengthen subregional cooperation in Central Asia and its integration into the world economy. The countries of SPECA are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.