The IGC TRACECA Permanent Secretariat meeting was held in Georgia with the participation of national secretaries and experts from the ILA member states, as well as representatives of the presiding party – Georgia. TRACECA Secretary General Askar Assavbayev expressed gratitude to the Georgian side and its representative, Deputy Minister of Economy Guram Guramishvili, for the warm welcome. He also reported on the results of the events held since the previous meeting in June 2024.
The meeting discussed seven key issues, including preparations for the XVII IGC TRACECA meeting in Tehran on 25-26 February 2025, the implementation of the multilateral permit system and the results of the border crossing assessment for 2023. The participants agreed on a draft review of cargo free storage zones for approval at the next meeting and agreed to continue working on the provisions of the TRACECA Business Council. Amendments to the TRACECA documents were also considered, taking into account the comments of Azerbaijan, Romania and Turkey.
Participants heard a report on freight statistics for 2023, noting the importance of reliable data for future work. In addition, a list of candidates for TRACECA awards was presented for approval by the IGC Chair. The meeting concluded with constructive dialogue and the adoption of recommendations on all agenda items.