During an official visit to Mongolia, IICA Director Javlon Vakhabov met with Dulguun Damdin-Od, Executive Director of the International Think Tank for Landlocked Developing Countries.

At the meeting, the IICA Director noted that logistics and the development of transport links are of strategic importance for Uzbekistan and Mongolia as landlocked countries. Both countries face similar challenges: rising costs and delivery times, an increase in the share of logistics costs in the price of imports (up to 60% for Central Asia), and the need to develop new routes and diversify transport corridors.

In this regard, the parties exchanged views on regional infrastructure initiatives, particularly the China – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan project and the expansion of the potential of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor.

It was emphasized that the geographical location of Central Asia and Mongolia opens up additional opportunities for turning the region into a key transit and communication hub of Eurasia.

Special attention was paid to the results of the first visit of the President of Mongolia to Uzbekistan in three decades, in June 2024, which resulted in the signing of intergovernmental agreements on the development of air and road transport.

The representatives of Mongolia expressed their readiness to implement the agreements actively and stressed the central role of developing transport connectivity in bilateral cooperation.

Following the meeting, the interlocutors stressed the importance of an expert dialogue between the institutions, including analysis, strategic planning, and exchanging best practices in transport, economics, and sustainable development. The parties confirmed their interest in continuing contacts and deepening partnership to develop practical solutions for the region.

G. Khonnazarov, UzA