05.08.2025

On August 5, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, held in the “Avaza” National Tourist Zone in the city of Turkmenbashi.

The event, chaired by the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, was also attended by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, as well as the heads of a number of other states and governments, and international and regional organizations.

In accordance with the agenda, pressing issues of strengthening transport connectivity and simplifying trade procedures, economic transformation, increasing resilience to climate change and environmental challenges, and achieving progress in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, were addressed. 

At the beginning of his speech, the President of Uzbekistan highly praised the efforts of Turkmenistan aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring global and regional stability and prosperity.

He emphasized that the issues discussed at the conference are of vital importance, since geographical remoteness from seaports and the need to cross the territories of several countries create a number of objective challenges.

Among them – high tariffs, limited throughput capacity of transport corridors and infrastructure, as well as dependence on the customs and transit policies of other countries.

According to the World Bank data, due to high transport costs and transit instability, the Central Asian region loses up to 2 percent of its GDP annually.

Logistics costs amount to up to 60 percent of the value of goods, which is several times higher than the global average.

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

- The agenda that unites us today touches upon a fundamental issue – the issue of justice. It is about providing landlocked states with the opportunity to participate in the global economy on equal terms, – noted the leader of Uzbekistan.

At the same time, the solution to this pressing task requires the fulfillment of three fundamental conditions.

These are modernization of infrastructure as the foundation of sustainable development, strengthening connectivity in order to prevent transit problems, and the realization of the right to development as a key element of global equality.

In recent years, Uzbekistan has taken systematic steps to build a modern transport and logistics network with active involvement of the private sector. Significant work has been done in the digitalization of trade and transport processes.

The ongoing structural economic reforms, liberalization of the trade system and a drastic improvement in the investment climate are yielding tangible results: competitiveness has increased, and innovation-driven development has accelerated.

- A powerful impetus to dynamic transformations has been provided by reaching a qualitatively new level of trust and partnership in Central Asia, – noted the Head of our state.

Today, a unified transport and logistics space is being formed in the region. Programs and projects are being implemented to turn Central Asia into a full-fledged transit hub between East and West, North and South.

Over the past years, trade volumes have increased 4,5 times. Investments have doubled, and the number of joint ventures has grown fivefold.

This year, together with partners, construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway has begun, and freight traffic along the Uzbekistan–Turkmenistan–Iran– Türkiye corridor has significantly increased.

To overcome the common challenges faced by landlocked countries, the President of Uzbekistan put forward a number of concrete proposals and initiatives.

Primarily, the need was emphasized for coordinated actions to advance the development of international transport corridors and infrastructure.

In this context, the importance of accelerating the implementation of the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan railway project and linking it with the under-construction China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway line, was highlighted. 

- This will open an opportunity for developing a new trade and economic space, and sustainable transport infrastructure in our vast region, – emphasized the leader of Uzbekistan. 

The Head of State also called for the full utilization of the potential of the Middle Corridor, primarily through the adoption of a coordinated transit policy, unification of rules, and introduction of optimal tariffs for container transportation.

The President of Uzbekistan also proposed developing, under the auspices of the United Nations, a Global agreement on transit guarantees for landlocked countries.

The document is intended to ensure fair access to ports and communications, reduce the risks of cargo transportation and eliminate inequality in global logistics.

Taking into account the growing demand for flexible investment instruments to finance large infrastructure projects, the leader of our country advocated the establishment, under the auspices of the UN, of a Fund for promotion of the logistic integration of landlocked countries. The demand of Central Asian countries for investments in transport infrastructure is estimated at nearly $40 billion annually.

The Head of Uzbekistan also called for the development of a Global Vulnerability Index for landlocked countries to objectively determine limitations in transit opportunities, expand international financial and technical programs, and ensure effective resource allocation based on real conditions.

Attention was drawn to the importance of implementing the proposal to establish an Innovation Hub in Uzbekistan for the development of the agricultural sector, which would promote the introduction of adaptive agro-technologies, advance innovative water-saving projects, strengthen food security and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience.

The leader of Uzbekistan emphasized the importance of actively involving leading experts and think tanks in formulating proposals to overcome common challenges, including through the organization of international forums and roundtables.

- The agenda of such events could consist of issues for ensuring deep integration into global production chains, accelerated development of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, expansion of cross-border investment and startup support, – underlined the President. 

He also announced Uzbekistan’s intention to join the activities of the International analytical center for landlocked developing countries.

In conclusion, the Head of our state reaffirmed the countrys’s readiness for constructive and long-term partnership in shaping a more just architecture of global development.

As a result of the Conference, the Avaza political declaration was adopted.