From Armenia to Vietnam, an 'iron' version of famed "Silk Road" will move a step closer to reality next month when Asian transport ministers sign agreement under United Nation auspices for a trans-continental rail network to link their capital cities, ports, industrial centres, and facilitate international trade and tourism.
Trans-Asian Railway Network (TAR) Agreement, to be signed at United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (Unescap) Ministerial Conference on Transport from November 6 to 11 in Busan, South Korea, comes on heels of Asian Highway Network that came into force last year under the Unescap auspices.
By these two agreements, Unescap will usher in new era of co-operation and partnership for regional integration. It is modern version of ancient Silk Road caravans that for centuries carried commerce from China to Europe.
With 60 percent of world's population generating 26 percent of world's gross domestic product, Asia's demand for efficient transport is greater than at any time in its history.
Unescap experts believe port efficiency can be enhanced through integration of rail and shipping to avoid port congestion, a key factor in Asia, home to 13 of world's top 20 container ports. TAR is also crucial for landlocked states whose access to world markets is heavily dependent on efficient links to region's main international ports. Twelve of world's 30 landlocked states are in Asia, and 10 are TAR members.
The signing will mark achievement of talks initiated by Unescap in 2004. The agreement finalised last November was adopted by its members at Commission's session in Jakarta in April.
TAR members are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.