The Twelfth Tokyo Dialogue of the"Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue“Connectivity with Central Asia and Caucasus”
Report

The Global Forum of Japan (GFJ)
March 15, 2023, Tokyo, Japan

Co-hosted by
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan
Co-Sponsored by
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)Japan Forum on International Relations (JFIR)
Japan Association for Trade with Russia & NIS

Opening
remarksbyby
YOSHIKAWA
Yuumi,
Parliamentary
Vice Minister
for Affairs
Foreignof Japan
Opening remarks
YOSHIKAWA
Yuumi,
Parliamentary
Vice Ministerfor Foreignof Affairs
Japan (Left)
and(Left) and
WATANABE
Mayu,
President
the Global
Japan (Right)
WATANABE
Mayu,
Presidentof the of
GlobalForum Forumof Japanof(Right)

experts
joinedjoined
and lively
discussed
More345than
100 experts
and lively
discussed

21Preface
The Global Forum of Japan implements various international exchanges and dialogue events every
fiscal year, with the aim of organizing policy-oriented intellectual dialogues across different sectors
between Japan and the world, through which it contributes to mutual understanding and consensusbuilding.
Central Asia is an extremely important region from a geopolitical perspective, in view of its position
as a geopolitical hub that connects Asia, Europe, Russia, and the Middle East, as well as from ageoeconomic perspective considering its rich natural resources and youthful population. Japan
initiated ministerial dialogues with five Central Asian countries in 2004, ahead of other countries, andhas since worked to deepen political and economic relations. In recent years, however, other majorcountries such as the United States, China, and Turkey have been engaging actively in diplomaticefforts to build relationships with the region, in order to fill the gap created from the decline of
Russia’s influence in the same five former Soviet bloc countries as a result of the military aggression
against Ukraine. With the Eurasian situation rapidly becoming increasingly fluid, Japan’s diplomacy
needs to reaffirm the geopolitical and geoeconomic importance of Central Asia, and strengthen its
strategic involvement with the region.
Based on this awareness, the Global Forum of Japan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs jointly
convened the Twelfth Tokyo Dialogue of the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue on “Connectivity
with Central Asia and the Caucasus” in Tokyo on March 15, both in-person and online. The event
was attended by 345 people including Mr. Mederbek Kurmanbekov (Deputy Minister of Transportand Communication, Kyrgyz Republic) and Mr. Khusrav Mirzoev (First Secretary, External Economic
Cooperation Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Tajikistan) from the five Central
Asian countries (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan), and Ms. Watanabe
Mayu (President, the Global Forum of Japan), Mr. Koizumi Yukihiro (Deputy Director General,
Infrastructure Management Department, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)), and Mr.
Yasui Tadashi (Head, External Relations, World Customs Organization (WCO)) from Japan. The
participants engaged in active exchanges of opinions during the event.
As this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japanand the countries of Central Asia, the Dialogue reflected on the 30-year trajectory of relations
between Japan and the countries of Central Asia, while engaging in active exchanges of views that
focused on issues related to the outlook for the future of Japan-Central Asia relationship, particularly
human resource development and digitalization.

1

This Report sets out the contents and outcomes of this “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue formembers of the Global Forum of Japan as well as other stakeholders. The full text of this Report isalso available on the website of the Global Forum of Japan (http://www.gfj.jp), so please feel free toperuse it at your leisure.
August 1, 2023

Watanabe Mayu

President, Global Forum of Japan2

Table of Contents
Ⅰ

Introduction
1

2．Overview of Presentations… ……………………………………………………………

2Ⅱ

1．Program… …………………………………………………………………………………

Minutes of Presentations and Discussions
9

2．Panel Discussion 1…………………………………………………………………………

17

3．Panel Discussion 2…………………………………………………………………………

38

Ⅲ

1．Opening Session……………………………………………………………………………

Presentation Slides………………………………………………………………………… 53

1

Ⅰ

I

Introduction

1. Program
2. Overview of Presentations

11. Program
14:00 – 14:35

Opening Session

Opening Remarks-Ms. YOSHIKAWA Yuumi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs-Ms. WATANABE Mayu, President, Global Forum of Japan (Co-organizer)
Key Note Speech-Professor UYAMA Tomohiko, the Slavic-Eurasian Research Center, Hokkaido University
Presentation on Potentials and challenges of Trans-Caspian Sea Route-Mr. KUROSU Toshihiko, Director, Russia, Central Asia and Caucasus Office, Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry
14:50 – 16:05

Panel Discussion 1: Institutional coordination and human resource
development for broader regional cooperation-Mr. ICHIBA Hiroaki, Director, Central Asia and Caucasus Division, MOFA (Moderator)-Mr. Arman ADEPBAYEV, Senior Expert of Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural
Development, Kazakhstan-Mr. Mederbek KURMANBEKOV, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communication, Kyrgyz
Republic-Mr. Khusrav MIRZOEV, First Secretary, External Economic Cooperation Department, Ministryof Foreign Affairs, Tajikistan-Mr. Abdulla KHASHIMOV, Director of Development of Transport Corridors and Logistics
Department, Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade, Uzbekistan-Dr. Irakli DANELIA, Business Development Head for Black Sea and Central Asia Regions ofMaersk Tbilisi, Georgia-Mr.Rati DEVADZE, Deputy Head of Transport and Logistics Development Policy Department,
Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia-Mr. KOIZUMI Yukihiro, Deputy Director General, Infrastructure Management Department,
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-Ms. SASAKI Asuka, Senior Deputy Director, International Cooperation Division, Custom &Tariff Bureau, Ministry of Finance, Japan-Mr. OZEKI Makoto, Deputy General Manager, NVOCC Department, Nissin Corporation (Deputy
Secretary General of Coordination Council on Trans Eurasian Transportation)
16:20 – 17:15

Panel Discussion 2: Digitalization in trade and customs-Mr. ICHIBA Hiroaki, Director, Central Asia and Caucasus Division, MOFA (Moderator)-Mr. Fariz ALIYEV, Head of Transport Policy Department, Ministry of Digital Development andTransport, Azerbaijan-Mr. KAKAMURADOW, Yklym Mukymowic, Head of Department of Customs Statistics, State
Customs Service, Turkmenistan-Mr. YAMAZAKI Kastunori, Director, Enterprise Business Department, Business and Marketing
Division, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) West Corpotation-Mr. YASUI Tadashi, Head, External Relations, World Customs Organization (WCO)-Mr. FUJIMITSU Motohiro, Manager, WCO/JICA Joint Project, Capacity Building Directorate-Mr. YAMAGUCHI Osamu, Senior Consultant, Research & Consulting Unit 3, NX Logistics
Research Institute and Consulting, Inc.
17:15 – 18:15

Reception

12. Overview of Presentations(1) Opening Sessiona.

Ms. Yoshikawa Yumi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan:
Since the independence of the Central Asian and Caucasian countries from the Soviet Union
in 1991, Japan has consistently supported their nation building efforts and they haveachieved a steady economic development. I hope that today’s Tokyo Dialogue will serve as
an opportunity to further develop regional cooperation for the sustainable development ofCentral Asia and Caucasus and to deepen economic and investment ties between Japan andthe region.

b.

Ms. Watanabe Mayu, President, Global Forum of Japan:
Central Asia, with its abundant natural resources, has become a more important partner forJapan in terms of energy security and also securing natural resources. In addition, Japan,
with its expertise and high-quality logistics, infrastructure development and industrial
development, is an important partner for the free, open and sustainable development ofCentral Asia, which is located in central Eurasia, by strengthening connectivity toward anoutlet to the sea, especially by utilizing the Caspian Sea route which does not pass throughRussia. I would hope that today’s dialogue will be a free and vigorous exchange of views
towards further strengthening future-oriented relations between Japan and Central Asia.

c.

Professor Uyama Tomohiko, the Slavic-Eurasian Research Center, Hokkaido University:
The Caspian Sea itself is not so conspicuous when it comes to its history, but when you
think of the north-south trade route, this area was very important. And you think of theeast-west trade, the trade itself was relatively low. So, it was not that conspicuous, yet the
Caspian Sea has been the hub of the trading routes of adjacent regions. And now it isdrawing attention for its resources, especially for oil and gas. But Russia’s war of aggression
against Ukraine has really heightened the military significance of Caspian Sea. For the time
being, cooperation between Japan, the West and the Caspian Sea littoral states cannot really
include Russia and Iran. I hope that both countries will be reborn as peaceful nations so that
this Caspian Sea can serve as a hub for the relations among the different countries.

d.

Mr. Kurosu Toshihiko, Director of Russia, Central Asia and Caucasus Office from the
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan:
The countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus are generally rich in natural resources,
such as oil, natural gas and metal mineral resources, and are strategically important toJapan as the supplier of these resources. As far as METI is concerned, we will continue to2

support further expansion of Japanese companies into the countries of Central Asia and theCaucasus. At the same time, securing and improving logistic routes is an extremely
important theme when considering further expansion and mutually beneficial trade.
(2) Panel Discussion 1: Institutional coordination and human resource development for broader
regional cooperationa.

Mr. Arman Adepbayev, Senior Expert, Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure
Development, Kazakhstan:In the modern development of Kazakhstan, the transport industry is defined as the arteryof the state’s economic life. The state of the transport component is a determining factor forthe entire economy of the Republic. And the effective use of the transit potential stimulates
the desire for continuous improvement of the transport infrastructure. Given the growing
volume of freight flows between the major producers, east, and the significant consumer,
Europe, the main objective of Kazakhstan’s transport policy remains the further creation of
the Eurasian Transcontinental Bridge. In Kazakhstan, within this region, we do have thepotential to become the transit hub for this area connecting Eurasia.

b.

Mr. Mederbek Kurmanbekov, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communication of the
Kyrgyz Republic:
Our challenge is to develop a land transport corridor that is viable, competitive andintegrated into the international transport system, taking into account the interconnectedtransport infrastructure of our partner countries. It is also very important for the Kyrgyz
Republic that partners provide a non-discriminatory access to the seaports of their countries,
promote liberalization of international transport, and reduce non-physical barriers across theterritory of transit countries. And the current important challenge is the formation of thedigital transportation corridor. Digitalization will define optimal routes and transportation
conditions through the use of legally important electronic documents.

c.

Mr. Khusrav Mirzoev, First Secretary, External Economic Cooperation Department,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan:
TITR (the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) is seen as an alternative route, but
going forward, it has the potential to become the main route connecting these regions andareas. TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia) shows some major initiatives.
One of them is the exemption from the use of visas. Also, various permits of related
programs – or to simplify or make these permits common amongst the different regions. In
order to gain the popularity of this route, we need to have affordable and also fast andefficient implementation of maritime transport.

3

d.

Mr. Abdulla Khashimov, Director of Development of Transport Corridors and Logistics
Department, Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan:
To find the new alternative corridor is vital for Central Asian countries to improve thetrade with European countries, the United States, or other countries. Within the frameworkof Central Asia Caucuses plus Japan format in our opinion, the following proposals could beconsidered for the next proposals. First, we support to continue the harmonization andunification of the regulatory and legal framework of international transport via this corridor.
Secondly, modernization of railway rolling stock, strengthening of containerization of cargotransportation, expansion of modality, electrification of railways will be required. It isnecessary to update the vehicle fleet, create favorable conditions for the transportation of
goods by road and transit, equalize fees, transfer international cargo transportation,
including to/from third countries on a non-permissive basis. And, the key task is thedigitalization.

e.

Dr. Irakli Danelia, Business Development Head for Black Sea and Central Asia Regions ofMaersk Tbilisi, Georgia:
First of all, very briefly about the challenges, the war in the territory in Ukraine, they
impose sanctions toward the Russia and Belarus; suspended shipment by the global shippinglines to Russian commercial seaports; and last but not least, unreliability of Trans-Siberiantransit corridor for the global corporations. But the opportunity has already come to theMiddle Corridor, which became one of the reliable alternatives for arranging the cargo flow
deliveries from west to east and vice versa. And the Black Sea and Caspian Sea ports
became the hub of the European and the Asian rail routes through the Middle Corridor.
The robust transport and communication infrastructure, which has already existed, but
extra investment is always welcome. The diversification of the resources, investments andcapital is always a good idea for business.

f.

Mr. Rati Devadze, Deputy Head of Transport and Logistics Development Policy Department,
Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia:
The attractiveness of the corridor is regardless of what the geopolitical or health-related
issues are in the world. So, we put high hopes on the corridor, that in the future as well it
will further develop and attract more cargo on it. Russian aggression in Ukraine exacerbatedthe signal towards logistics companies across Asia and across Europe that there are newroutes to be found. Because, only on one route, you cannot rely on everything. Hence that
influenced attention and grew attention on the Middle Corridor as well, and Ukraine is oneof the important routes of the Middle Corridor as well.

g.

Mr. Koizumi Yukihiro, Deputy Director General, Infrastructure Management Department,

4

Japan International Cooperation Agency:
The common consensus and strong commitment by all countries involved is paramount toimproving logistics and strengthening connectivity. The people who are here should bereally aware of the challenges and issues, and then have to improve the situation. Second, it
is essential that the development of transportation infrastructure, customs procedure, legal
regulations and human resource development be implemented in a harmonious way.
h.

Ms. Sasaki Asuka, Senior Deputy Director, International Cooperation Division, Custom &Tariff Bureau, Ministry of Finance of Japan:
There are three roles fulfilled by customs, which is the trade facilitation, safe and securesociety, and also, appropriate collection of custom duties. These are the three major roles ofcustoms. And this is common across the board in the world. So, in order to realize that
there are two elements that are necessary.
First is we need to have a custom clearance system in accordance with international
standards. And also, we need the appropriate and correct knowledge and operational
capabilities of the staff involved. In the customs area, the idea is how we can promote thisinternational standard. And, of course, we would need to incorporate more of a digitalization,that would lead to expediting the custom clearance process. So, it would not suffice just to
engage domestically only, we would need to definitely engage others outside of the country.

i.

Mr. Ozeki Makoto, Deputy General Manager, NVOCC Department, Nissin Corporation(Deputy Secretary General of Coordination Council on Trans Eurasian Transportation):In the past, the transportation routes were selected based on the freight cost, and secondly
transit time, the number of days in transit. So, these two were the major criteria for
selecting transportation routes. But now, companies are required to give special attention to
the environment. And also, you always have to have a backup plan in case of an accident.
The Caspian Sea route, the Caspian Sea route meets the criteria.

(3) Panel Discussion 2: Digitalization in trade and customsa.

Mr. Fariz Aliyev, Head of Transport Policy Department, Ministry of Digital Development
and Transport, Azerbaijan:
Since we realized the importance of the corridor, we should first look at the efforts eachcountry has realized for the facilitation of the processes through the corridor. One of theimportant issues related to the Middle Corridor is the digitalization of the corridor. It’s like
simplification of the process. It entails simplification of border crossing procedures,
implementing a single electronic transit customs document along the Middle Corridor. I
think the major challenges we face are related to the modernization of the infrastructure,offering digitalization solutions, and investing in Alat Free Economic Zone, which offers

5favorable conditions for all the international investments.
b.

Mr. Yklym Kakamuradow, Head of Department of Customs Statistics, State Customs
Service, Turkmenistan:
We are successfully implementing comprehensive national programs aimed at radical
modernization of the material and technical basis of the transport industry, expansion ofexisting networks, and the creation of new transport and communication networks. The
Government has made important progress, particularly in developing transit transport
infrastructure, promoting faster transit, including advances in sustainable energy,
investment promotion and diversification.

c.

Mr. Yamazaki Kastunori, Director, Enterprise Business Department, Business andMarketing Division, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) West Corporation:
The demonstration test, that is done in in Osaka, is port operation based on the local 5G. The
local 5G technology can be utilized to enhance the operation of the ports and the container
yard. And we’re doing it until the end of March, and will report to you, the result of this.
For the future, through the demonstration, we gain the knowledge of digital transformationof the port operation, improvement of the productivity, and also, the smart port operation.
We are planning to accelerate the work towards that goal.

d.

Mr. Yasui Tadashi, Head, External Relations, World Customs Organization:
WCO (World Customs Organization) is an international organization, the only one specificallyon customs. All of Central Asia and Caucasus region are members of WCO. The three corefunctions for WCO are, first the development of global standards; second to promote thecustoms cooperation; and the third, capacity building activities.

e.

Mr. FUJIMITSU Motohiro, Manager, WCO/JICA Joint Project, Capacity Building
Directorate:
There’s been about the electronic, digitalized transit declaration. That has been realized in a
number of countries already, so in the very bottom of the flow here is the further facilitationof this. It’s called one-stop service. Two countries, at the same venue jointly, they can
engage in the inspection to extend the one-stop service, and this would further facilitate theprocess. The mission of the WCO is “Borders divide, Customs connects”.

f.

Mr. Yamaguchi Osamu, Senior Consultant, Research & Consulting Unit 3, NX Logistics
Research Institute and Consulting, Inc:
From Japan to Europe, by using the Middle Corridor to transport the containers, we haveto do multiple border crossings, under a bonded status. They will be transited on a bonded

6

basis. So, it would go through the Caspian Sea. There would be a marine transportation, andmay, actually, goes through rail, for instance, so the gauge of the train may be different.
Because of the rail gauge, a transshipment needs to be conducted. So, the cargo needs to bechanged. In terms of transshipment, what sort of quality – what sort of infrastructure isavailable? Those are some of the major concerns for the shipping companies. In terms of theprocedures, SMGS and CIM, these are the two different types of forms that have been used
for customs transit. For instance, with user digitalization, how much time can we shorten?
These are definitely one of the major concerns that we have as the operator.

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Ⅱ

II

 inutes of Presentations andMDiscussions
1．Opening Session
2．Panel Discussion 1
3．Panel Discussion 2

11. Opening Session
MC: Thank you very much for coming to the 12th Tokyo Dialogue of “Central Asia plus Japan”
Dialogue on “Connectivity with Central Asia and the Caucasus” Open Symposium. Today’s
symposium will be held with simultaneous interpretation between Japanese-English and JapaneseRussian. If you have any questions about how to use the receivers on the tables, please ask our staff
member nearest to you. Please wait momentarily until we begin the conference. Parliamentary ViceMinister for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Yoshikawa is just arriving to the venue. So, please wait momentarily
until she arrives.
Mr. Ichiba Hiroaki, Director, Central Asia and Caucasus Division, Russia Division, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Japan: We now would like to begin the 12th Tokyo Dialogue of “Central Asia plus Japan”
Dialogue on “Connectivity with Central Asia and the Caucasus” at the Open Symposium. My name is
Mr. Ichiba. I am Director of the Central Asia and Caucuses Office, European Affairs Bureau, Ministryof Foreign Affairs of Japan, and I will be the moderator of today’s session. Today, following the
opening session, we will have two discussion sessions. One is Institutional Collaboration and Human
Resource Development for Broader Regional Cooperation. And Panel Discussion 2, Digitalization andTrade and Customs. There will be breaks between each session. Thank you very much for yourcooperation today. First of all, on behalf of the organizer, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I would liketo welcome Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Yumi Yoshikawa.
Ms. Yoshikawa Yumi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan: Good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen. Good afternoon. Well, now the government announced that we don’t have towear masks anymore. So, I’m ready to hear from you directly. You don’t have to wear masks. And
good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. And thank you very much for the introduction. I am
Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, my name is Yumi Yoshikawa. So, this is the 12th
Tokyo Dialogue of the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue. On behalf of the organizers, I would liketo give a few words. First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the experts who
have participated in this Tokyo Dialogue, and also, to the co-sponsors, the Global Forum, who made agreat effort in organizing this event, and also, to the organizations that have provided their support
to us, and also, the participants who have participated in this event, both in the venue and also
online, I would like to say thank you so much. Thank you very much for your support.
Since the independence of the Central Asian and Caucasian countries from the Soviet Union in 1991,
Japan has consistently supported their nation building efforts and they have achieved a steadyeconomic development. And we are so happy to see their development. In 2004, Japan became thefirst country in the world to establish the framework of dialogue with the five countries, which isCentral Asia plus Japan Dialogue and also Foreign Ministerial Meetings. And the Government of

9

Japan has been cooperating in the development of a free and open region. This Tokyo Dialogue, held
today, was launched in 2006 as an intellectual dialogue with experts to complement the Foreign
Ministers Meeting. So, this is the 12th of those dialogues. The ninth Foreign Ministers Meeting andthe Central Asia Japan Dialogue were held in Tokyo on December 24 last year. The ministers agreed
on the importance of upholding the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and other internationallaws, such as independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful settlement of international
disputes of all countries and at the same time. They also agreed to explore new models ofdevelopment for the Central Asian countries to achieve sustainable development. As support to such
efforts made by the Central Asian countries, the Government of Japan proposed a new partnership
focusing on investment in people and quality of growth. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has also
led to a growing movement to avoid using the route via Russia as a logistics route connecting
Central Asia with Japan and Europe.
Against this backdrop, Central Asia, as a landlocked region, connectivity towards the sea is a key
factor in the development of a free, open and sustainable development. So, this is why we are pleased
to present today’s discussions on the theme of connectivity of Central Asia and the Caucasus. As
Central Asia is at the center of the Eurasian continent, there are various routes of exit to the sea.
Among which the Caspian Sea route is one that does not pass through Russia and leads through theBlack Sea and Türkiye to the Indo-Pacific as well. Last October, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
together with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, JICA, and Japanese companies sent thesurvey mission to Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan to study the further utilization of the Caspian Sea
route. In order to further deepen these studies at this year’s Tokyo Dialogue, in addition to logistics
experts from Central Asian countries, working-level officials from Azerbaijan and also Georgia havebeen invited to the Tokyo Dialogue to further deepen these discussions. And we are so pleased tohave a keynote speech by Professor Tomohiko Uyama of Hokkaido University, a leading expert on
this region. And also, we have invited a speaker from the World Customs Organization which isengaged in global cooperation in the field of customs. So, I would like to conclude my greetings byexpressing my hope that today’s Tokyo Dialogue will serve as an opportunity to further develop
regional cooperation for the sustainable development of Central Asia and Caucasus and to deepen
economic and investment ties between Japan and the region. I really hope that we will have very
candid opinions from all of you and also very active discussion today. Thank you so much for yourkind attention. To the people who are also coming online, I hope that today’s discussion is going tobe very constructive and deepen the understanding of this region. Thank you very much once again.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. Next, we will have opening remarks from one of the co-sponsors,
Global Forum, from Ms. Mayu Watanabe, President of the Global Forum of Japan.
Ms. Watanabe Mayu, President, Global Forum of Japan: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My

10name is Mayu Watanabe. I am President of the Global Forum of Japan. It is a great pleasure for me
to co-organize the 12th Tokyo Dialogue of “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue on “Connectivity with
Central Asia and the Caucasus”. I would like to express our deepest gratitude to all those who havecome to Japan from Central Asia and the Caucasus region to participate in this dialogue. I would also
like to extend my appreciation to the Parliamentary Vice-Minister, Ms. Yoshikawa, and all of you
who are here in person and also connecting through online. I would like to extend my gratitude to allof you. I’d like to explain about the Global Forum of Japan, GFJ. It is an international exchangeorganization celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Its historical roots and can be traced back to
the Quadripolar Forum, a conference of wise leaders from Japan, Europe, the United States andCanada. Currently, the forum is leading the international exchange section of the Japan International
Forum, a policy thinktank for international affairs, as a secretariat within the forum. GFJ’s strengthlies not only in its dialogue with the world’s major countries, such as the US, Europe, China, ASEAN
and India, but also in its outreach to countries in Central Asia and the Black Sea area, which aresomewhat less familiar to Japan.
These are the areas very important in terms of this geopolitical positioning. In particular, the BlackSea and Central Asia are at the crossroads of the east-west corridor between Europe and Asia andthe north-south corridor between Russia and the Middle East. And it is a strategic point wheretrade, logistics, transportation, energy and military interests intersect. Therefore, they are extremely
important for Eurasian stability. We have been a pioneer in Japan in the Black Sea Area Dialogue
since 2005. And at the same time, in order to follow up on these dialogues, we have conducted
research on Eurasia where the major powers are dynamically competing with each other, and wehave been closely monitoring developments in the Caucasus and Central Asia, under the guidance ofProfessor Tomohiko Uyama, who will be speaking to you today.
Now Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has drastically changed the international situation. Central Asia,with its abundant natural resources, has become a more important partner for Japan in terms ofenergy security and also securing natural resources. In addition, Japan, with its expertise and highquality logistics, infrastructure development and industrial development, is an important partner for
the free, open and sustainable development of Central Asia, which is located in central Eurasia, bystrengthening connectivity toward an outlet to the sea, especially by utilizing the Caspian Sea routewhich does not pass through Russia. At the Foreign Ministers Meeting held on December 24th lastyear, Japan and Central Asia confirmed the importance of mutual cooperation as partners inmaintaining and strengthening a free and open international order based on the rule of law. I would
hope that today’s dialogue will be a free and vigorous exchange of views towards further
strengthening future-oriented relations between Japan and Central Asia, thank you very much foryour kind attention.

11

Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much, Miss Watanabe. Now let’s move on to the keynote speech. Let us
invite Professor Uyama Tomohiko, the Slavic-Eurasian Research Center, Hokkaido University, please.
Professor Uyama Tomohiko, the Slavic-Eurasian Research Center, Hokkaido University: Thank you
for your introduction. I am Uyama. I am from the Slavic-Eurasian Research Center of Hokkaido
University. I am an expert of the Central Asian history and I have been involved in this dialogue, theTokyo Dialogue of Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue. So, today I would like to highlight the CaspianSea and really would like to discuss about the other issues surrounding this. I’ll take about 10
minutes or so to review the history and the possibility of the Caspian Sea against the backdrop of its
history. When it comes to the Caspian Sea, this is a little bit into the western side of the Central
Asia. And on the northern side of the Caspian Sea, there is the Silk Road steppe route, and also on
the southern part we see the Oasis route. And when you look at the history, the nomads of the
steppes usually use the northern part of Caspian Sea. And also, even in the southern regions from
the Mongolia and Central Asia, when a new country expanded its territory, for example, part of theMongolian Empire Il-khanate and also Seljuk dynasty, these nomadic powers and states usually
expanded into the southern part of the Caspian Sea. Therefore, it is the Turkic people who were
distributed not only in the Central Asia, but also in the Caucasus. However, the Caspian Sea itself is
not so conspicuous when it comes to its history.
In the 10th century, Istakhri wrote an Arabic geographical book. And he said or he wrote that fromthe sea nothing can be extracted that can be extracted from other seas such as gems, pearls andcorals. And it brings nothing useful except fish. But when you think of the north-south trade route,
this area was very important, especially when it comes to the Astrakhan, that is the northern coastof the Caspian Sea, and the merchants from Genoa, Armenia, and India established trading posts, andit became a hub for trade between South Asia, Iran and Russia. The all the wealth created by thistrade were attacked by Cossacks and especially the Stenka Razin. The name is well known as for
those type of attacks.
What about the east-west trade? The trade itself was relatively low. The eastern coast, the Central
Asia side, was basically desert so a sparsely populated area. However, there were diagonal routes
connecting the southeast and the northwest, such as a trade route between Tabaristan in northerneastern Iran, and also, Derbent in Dagestan, and also, a route from the Karagel port at the tip of theBalkan Peninsula to Astrakhan on the opposite coast. And during the Russian Empire, in 1869,
Krasnovodsk was opened. This is Türkmenbaşy. And the traffic to and from Baku increased duringthat time. Russian conquest of Turkmenistan was carried out by transporting troops across the
Caspian Sea from the Caucasus. And there were three times of this type of attack. And especially,
the Caspian Oblast, which roughly corresponded to Turkmenistan, remained under the jurisdictionof the Caucasian Governor until 1890, so that there were strong relations between the two coasts of

12

the Caspian Sea.
So, it was not that conspicuous, yet the Caspian Sea has been the hub of the trading routes ofadjacent regions. And now it is drawing attention for its resources, especially for oil and gas. Andeven during the Russian Empire, Baku’s oil has been known to the people. But during the Soviet era,most of the areas that could be easily drilled with Soviet technology were exhausted. And although
Kazakhstan’s oil development was based on the experience of the Caucasus, there are many areasthat could not be easily drilled with Soviet technology. But with the arrival of foreign technology andcapital around the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the resources of the Kazakhstan Sea
attracted attention due to its great potential for the development. And various plans were made toconstruct pipelines for oil and gas exports. And from the late 1990s through the 2000s, it was almost
the Caspian Sea boom.
The development of the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, namely western Kazakhstan and western
Turkmenistan, using oil and gas as leverage, solved the problem of the lack of population and also
economic resources on the eastern shore. Last year, September, I visited Aktau of Kazakhstan, which
was at the shore of the Caspian Sea. And I found the town powerfully developing. So, facing the
Caspian Sea, there are lots of beautiful parks with rocks. And I hope that you will visit there. And
also with the Chinese One Belt One Road initiative, new routes across Eurasia are gaining
momentum. And also, Türkiye is now really involved in the development of this region. And also,
Japan is also very much involved in the development of this region. And currently, for the Central
Asian countries to reduce their over reliance on Russia, other trade routes have also raised
expectations for increased connectivity through the Caspian Sea.
So lastly, I would like to a little bit touch upon the unfortunate current situation. Russia’s war of
aggression against Ukraine has really heightened the military significance of Caspian Sea. The
Caspian Sea is not far from Ukraine, and unlike the Black Sea, it is difficult for Ukrainian forces todetect the movement of the military there. Russia has taken advantage of this condition to launch
missile attacks on Caspian Sea and other parts of Ukraine from the airspace above. And
unfortunately, there are lots of damage done. And I must say that the Caspian Sea became a sea ofwar. So far, Ukraine has not really attacked the Russian side. And also, they do not have enoughweapons and ammunition, but they have the right to do so. In other words, the Caspian Sea could be
the real field of battle in the future. And also, Russia imports arms and ammunition from Iran via the
Caspian Sea route. These things go against the spirit of the peaceful use of the Caspian Sea as
outlined in the Caspian Sea Legal Status Treaty. Iran has not approved it yet, so it is not yet in force,but this has highlighted the useful use of the Caspian Sea.
Therefore, what Russia is doing is really against the spirit of this Treaty. So, for the time being,13

cooperation between Japan, the West and the Caspian Sea littoral states cannot really include Russia.
However, Russia and Iran are important neighbors for Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.
And Iran, in particular, is a shortcut to the open sea for Central Asia. Considering the history of the
Caspian Sea, that it is very difficult for Central Asia to use this land route over Iran to the sea. And
we have to solve that in the future. And the Caspian Sea has been working as a hub for the northand south trade, and it is much more possible to have Russian and Iran included in this discussion sothat we can have a great cooperation. I hope that both countries will be reborn as peaceful nations
so that this Caspian Sea can serve as a hub for the relations among the different countries. Thankyou very much.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. Now we would like to call upon Mr. Kurosu Toshihiko, Director of
Russia, Central Asia and Caucasus Office from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Mr. Kurosu Toshihiko, Director of Russia, Central Asia and Caucasus Office from the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan: To our esteemed guests from Central Asia and the Caucasus,
the Japanese speakers and panelists, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you for thisopportunity to make these remarks. My name is Kurosu. I am the Director of Russia, Central Asiaand the Caucasus Office of METI. So, Professor Uyama just shared with us this history, and thebackground, and some of the features of this particular region. It has been a fairly a thoroughpresentation from the professor.
So, this time around I would like to specifically focus on the theme of prospects and challenges of the
Caspian Sea route. Japan has been cooperating with the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus
for their sustainable economic growth, including industrial diversification and the diversification of
the development of high-quality infrastructure. The countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus are
generally rich in natural resources, such as oil, natural gas and metal mineral resources, and are
strategically important to Japan as the supplier of these resources. The international environment
surrounding the countries of Central Asia and Caucasus, as mentioned by the Professor Uyama, hasrecently changed drastically due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Perhaps aided by this change in theenvironment, business relations between Japan and Central Asia and the Caucasus are also
undergoing changes. For example, in 2022, the volume of trade between Japan and the countries ofCentral Asia and the Caucasus is generally increasing significantly. It can be inferred that along withthe easing of the restrictions on travel due to the new coronavirus, of course, prior to that, there has
been a fairly strict restriction. Prior to that, the Japanese companies were not able to engage intrade. But now, with the easing of the restrictions, we are seeing signs of recovery of these economic
activities. As far as METI, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, is concerned, we are actively
encouraging companies to expand into the Central Asia and Caucasus region, to further accelerate
their strength.

14

While, of course, we will need to give due consideration towards Russia and provide a roundabout
trade to Russia. Just to give an example, in September 2022, the 11th Japan-Azerbaijan Joint
Economic Conference was held in Baku, where discussions focused on expanding trade andinvestment. JCM, the joint crediting mechanism, a bilateral crediting system for greenhouse gas
emission reduction, was also signed in conjunction with the conference. The following October, inTashkent, the 16th Japan-Uzbekistan Joint Economic Conference was also held with about 70 or so
Japanese participants, and likewise, a JCM was concluded here. In November, in Tbilisi in Georgia, abusiness forum was held with more than 15 Japanese companies participating. Now, for this fiscal
term, in February, that is just last month, nine small and medium-sized companies visited Central
Asia as part of the public private mission funded by METI. And many interviews were conductedleading to various economic activities.
Likewise, in the same month, in February, we asked the ambassadors of the five countries from theregion to further encourage Japanese companies to expand into Central Asia, thereby holding theCentral Asia Business Dialogue. For the participating companies, there are those that have been able
to raise the interest amongst the Japanese companies who are looking into starting business there.
So, it’s shown here, as far as METI is concerned, we will continue to support further expansion ofJapanese companies into the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus. At the same time, securing
and improving logistic routes is an extremely important theme when considering further expansion
and mutually beneficial trade.
Based on this awareness of these issues, as Mr. Yoshikawa, the Parliamentary Vice-Minister
mentioned, the Caspian Sea mission was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in October lastyear. METI also dispatched other staff members. So, there has been other routes. There has beenhuge impact on the other routes due to the current environment. We have visited various entities
involved in the logistics, engaged in those in the logistics, and conducted various dialogues. So,
through those dialogues, we have been able to be aware of the importance of this Caspian Sea routeand its potential. So, in 2022, we have received confirmation from the relevant ministries that thevolume of cargo passing between Baku and Aktau utilizing the Caspian Sea route has increased 54%
year on year. That is the number that we have been able to confirm.
We do believe there will be further increase in the cargo volume and the freight volume in the
future. So, given this in the backdrop, what is the motivation for Japanese companies to utilize theCaspian Sea route traditionally? As part of the transportation route, the Siberian Railway has beenused from Japan to Europe, Central Asia and Caucasus, and also, Central Asia to Japan. However,after the situation in Ukraine became intense, alternative routes are now being considered. Various
issues have also been pointed out with regard to the route via China, such as the uncertain leadtimes due to custom clearance imposed by COVID-19. In light of these issues, the use of the Caspian15

Sea route is now under serious consideration.
As mentioned, from the Japanese companies that participated in the October mission, I’d like toshare with you some of the feedback. Some are already using the Caspian Sea route to transport
automobiles and other goods to Central Asia as an alternative to the conventional route. Also, someare considering using it as a transportation route to Central Asia in the future. Thirdly, based onhearing this feedback, some have been able to try to start a trial given the potential of this route. So,some are looking into, on a trial basis, transporting natural resources from Central Asia to Japan via
the Caspian Sea route. Given these factors, the Caspian Sea route can be seen as a potential routethat could become a major route in the future, rather than being an alternative or contingency routefor existing logistic routes. In other words, the strategic importance of the Caspian Sea route has
been increased.
So, we’d like to share with you what are some of the challenges must we address in order for theconstancy route to further reach its potential. Just to converge on some of the points raised by theother companies that participate. So, one is related to cost. And the second is related to lead time. So,on the Caspian Sea route, there is more frequent transshipment involved from rail to ship, multiple
customs clearance, due to many border crossings, that is the first issue. Also related to theinfrastructure, it is still in the midst of development. Also, another point, this is quite an externality
issue, but this is related to the climate and the weather conditions; there’s uncertainty as to how
these vessels may navigate. So, indeed, for the lead time and some of the productivity related to it,
there are definitely lies an issue. In addition, in terms of logistics quality, depending on what sort ofcargo we may transport, as part of the feedback from the Japanese companies, they would like to see
improvement in the quality of transportation in some areas.
Of course, I would not like to be pessimistic here. And I do believe, and I am aware that those of you
who have gathered here today are actively involved in this with the assistance from thegovernments of Central Asia and the Caucasus. I’ve heard that there has been a number of logistic
conferences, and also, discussions on the simplification of customs clearance are underway. Also,
there has been issues to strengthen the port infrastructure and increasing the number of rail cars,
ferries and tankers in their respective countries. This is the feedback from those who haveparticipated in the mission.
In closing, I believe that this symposium is an excellent opportunity since all the stakeholders andthe entities above have gathered here today, perhaps, can contribute to the development to the
Caspian Sea route, such as through digitalization. So, I do believe this is an excellent opportunity to
pursue this further. So, from a Japanese perspective, I would like to conclude and express my strong
hope for the further development of the Caspian Sea route, as we expect to see increasing the16demand. Thank you very much for listening.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much, Director Kurosu. And we will take a little less than 10 minutes’
break. And we will resume at 2:50. And we will be preparing the set up for the panel discussion.

2. Panel Discussion 1
Mr. Ichiba: We’ll be starting panel discussion. Number one, please take your seats. Thank you verymuch for waiting. Now let’s begin Panel Discussion 1: The Institutional Coordination and Human
Resource Development for the Wider Area Collaboration. Please wait to make a comment until themoderator calls upon your name. In order to ensure smooth proceedings, we will ring the bell when
the designated time has expired for each panelist. So, first of all, panelists from the Central Asia andthe Caucasus will talk about the current situation, challenges and future prospects in the countries.
Mr. Ichiba: First of all, would like to call upon the Mr. Arman Adepbayev, Senior Expert, theMinistry of Industry and Infrastructure Development of Kazakhstan.
Mr. Arman Adepbayev, Senior Expert, Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development,
Kazakhstan: First of all, let me thank the organizers and Mr. Ichiba for inviting me to this event.
Again, I would like to thank the organizers for this opportunity and thank you very much for thewarm hospitality. Today’s symposium is related to expanding economic ties between our countries
and will definitely strengthen relations in the field of transport. In the modern development of
Kazakhstan, the transport industry is defined as the artery of the state’s economic life. The state of
the transport component is a determining factor for the entire economy of the Republic. And theeffective use of the transit potential stimulates the desire for continuous improvement of thetransport infrastructure. Given the growing volume of freight flows between the major producers,
east, and the significant consumer, Europe, the main objective of Kazakhstan’s transport policy
remains the further creation of the Eurasian Transcontinental Bridge. Having a complex of road andrail networks routes as well as strategically important ports of Aktau and Kuryk on the Caspian Sea,
our country is able to realize the available national transit resource to ensure uninterrupted Eurasiantransport communication. To date, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, TITR, ispassing through the seaports of Aktau and Kuryk as the main alternative route for thetransportation of Kazakhstan exports and transit cargo.
So, in terms of the capacity, it is at 6 million tons per year, including 80,000 TEU. Current shipmentof cargo through the seaports of Aktau and Kuryk within the framework has become two times
higher, with 1.67 last year, but the year before, it was 800,000. Last year, in terms of the containertransportation, in comparison to the previous year, it increased by 34% in 2021, at 25,000 TEU. But

17

last year in 2022, it was 33,000 TEU. For this year, we are expecting to increase the volume to
2,000,000. For the potential of this route, and in order to dissolve the bottleneck, we have theroadmap to eliminate the bottlenecks on this route in November last year. And this has been signed.
So, the port capacity will be increased. The number of vehicles will be increased as well. We would
like to provide a favorable condition to those in involved. By this, we can increase the execution to 11
million in tonnage. So, within the roadmap framework, we are planning to invest more than 1 billion
US dollars. So, it is a project underway to further increase the transit from China to Europe. So, theDostyk-Moyinty freight line was started, in terms of the second track. And by doing so, the capacity
should be increased by five times, and there is an increase in the speed of transportation to 1500
kilometers per day from 800 kilometers today, and some of the characteristics. This projects wewould have a 40% and the cost would be reduced, and also, the time for transportation reduced by
24 hours. Also, Kuryk port is part of this transportation network. So, 21 million tonnage is the perannum capacity. And in order to increase the cargo transport and the container transport, by theyear 2025, we would like to establish the container hubs to improve on the births, and also, to dodredging of the port, and so forth.
So, CMA CGM, these international container operators, we are expected to solicit. So, by the year
2025, Xi’an overseas terminal and the green terminal are expected to be constructed. And by 2025,
we will conduct the construction of the birth ferry with the dredging in place. Also, as part of thisexpansion, Cosmo Transport, which is the national marine transport company, by 2030, they’re
expected to construct more tankers and ferries. But this project is underway with Abu Dhabi port.
And 25 vessels are expected to be built in the first half of this year. The 1st two tankers will becompleted. And by the year 2026, four tankers and also four ferries – and the remainder of 15 vessels
will be constructed by 2030.
And finally, ladies and gentlemen, in Kazakhstan, within this region, we do have the potential to
become the transit hub for this area connecting Eurasia. We will definitely become play a significant
role in fulfilling this role as the bridge. So, we will continuously increase our transport capability. We
will begin one of the forces to further expand the trade. Thank you very for much for listening.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. Now moving on to the Kyrgyz Republic, the Deputy Minister ofTransport and Communication, Mr. Mederbek Kurmanbekov, please.
Mr. Mederbek Kurmanbekov, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communication of the Kyrgyz
Republic: Thank you very much, Mr. Ichiba and all participants. First of all, on behalf of the Ministryof Transport and Communications of the Kyrgyz Republic, I would like to say hello, and also, thankyou for your warm welcome. And also, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Japanese
Government for allocating the grant for the implementing of the Project for the Protection from18

Ground Blizzard on Bishkek-Osh Road, and for the cooperation in the field of road construction, andthe development in Kyrgyz Republic for 26 years through the Japan International Cooperation
Agency. 10 projects have been already promoted. And five projects are under development. And
within the framework of the cooperation, the project on construction and reconstruction of transport
corridors in the Kyrgyz Republic is being implemented. The provision of improved facilities for
winter road maintenance and protection from avalanches on the road of the Kyrgyz Republic ensure
reliable and efficient transport of goods and passengers on the roads of Kyrgyz Republic all year
round.
Today, our challenge is to develop a land transport corridor that is viable, competitive and integrated
into the international transport system, taking into account the interconnected transport
infrastructure of our partner countries. It is also very important for the Kyrgyz Republic, which islandlocked, that partners provide a non-discriminatory access to the seaports of their countries,
promote liberalization of international transport, and reduce non-physical barriers across the territoryof transit countries. And the current important challenge is the formation of the digital transportation
corridor to reduce travel time, lead time, administrative costs, and downtime in transportation andlogistics. Digitalization will define optimal routes and transportation conditions through the use oflegally important electronic documents, the formation of a unified information environment will
optimize the functioning of state management bodies, including at the super-national level. The
exchange of experiences among the countries is very important. And digitalization is crucial for us.
Therefore, I would like to ask for your support. And our challenge to make the Kyrgyz Republic atransit country with safe and demanding corridors for the transport of passengers, goods, and cargo
by 2040.
And currently, we are working on the enhancement of the infrastructure with Uzbekistan and otherCentral Asian countries. The possibility of a transit should be expanded. With Central Asia, Japanand Caucasus exchanges, we hope that an integrated approach will be formed and developed withthe framework of a continuous chain of transportation, trade and investment. The internationaltransport system should be created. Bureaucratic procedures should be simplified as much as
possible. And also, non-physical barriers should be reduced or even removed. The positive
international experience must teach us a lot of things. And finally, let me once again thank you fororganizing such a large event and express my hope for further fruitful cooperation among theCentral Asian countries, Japan and the Caucasus region. We would like to do our best and want topromote the cooperation among ourselves. Thank you very much.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. I’d like to ask Mr. Khusrav Mirzoev, First Secretary, External
Economic Cooperation Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tajikistan.

19

Mr. Khusrav Mirzoev, First Secretary, External Economic Cooperation Department, Ministry ofForeign Affairs of Tajikistan: Thank you very much for the introduction. I’d like to start off with mywords of appreciation. To the organizers from Japan, thank you very much for such a spectacularorganization of this symposium. The key focus of the Japanese business community, I am very gladthat you were able to select this topic. So, I do have some presentations for you. So, this relates tothe prospects for the development of transport corridors between Central Asian and trans-Caucasian
republics. So that is the theme of today’s presentation. So, this shows the map of the area. These are
the main routes of Central Asia and the Caucasus, so the Middle Corridor is said to be the name ofthis particular route. It shows Türkmenbaşy, which is on the eastern side, and it connects Baku, andit goes through Azerbaijan and Georgia, all the way to the Black Sea. So that is the corridors route.
So, we call it the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. This is the name that has been given.
As some have mentioned this route already, as we speak right now, it is seen as an alternative route.
But going forward, it has the potential to become the main route connecting these regions and areas.
However, in order for it to become the main route, we need to engage and measure, and we need toaddress major challenges. First of all, all our countries need to collaborate with one another toaddress these issues. The largest issue is that it has to pass through two bodies of water. In orderfor us to reach Europe, two seas and five borders need to be crossed. So TRACECA is the dialoguethat has been underway within the region. So TRACECA was established back in 1993. It is aninternational transport program. So, the aim is to increase the trade volume in Caucuses and Central
Asian regions. So, this is an initiative and program to further increase the trade route. Needless forme to go into details, I’m pretty sure you’re aware of this program. So, these three countries serve as
the representatives. And Tbilisi, which is the capital of Georgia, has held the most recent conference.
So, this shows the outcomes of the previous years for TRACECA. Some major initiatives are written
here. One of them is the exemption from the use of visas. Also, various permits of related programs– or to simplify or make these permits common amongst the different regions.
So, these are some of the important programs underway. So, under this framework of TRACECA,
various documents and resolutions have been made. Some of them have been fully implemented. But
we do believe there are a number of other issues that still need to be resolved. Various statistical
data have been compiled by different countries, and they have been shared amongst them. This
would be important to facilitate and address the issues related to transportation. Multi-modaltransport is very important because this route is based on the prerequisite of using this multi-modaltransport. Automobiles are used, and, of course, and marine vessels and ships are used within thisroute. And we do have a number of new initiatives as well. One of them is the Visa Free Initiative,
which I have already mentioned already, this is a very important initiative. For instance, the driversof the trucks who are directly involved in transportation will be exempted from the visa. And theycan engage in the transporting of the cargo, which is very important. So, this concept relates to20maritime transport. So, the vessels are obviously responsible for the maritime transport. So, we willcontinue to develop and also refurbish the existing vessels. Within this corridor, maritime transport
is very important. So, in order to gain the popularity of this route, we need to have affordable andalso fast and efficient implementation of maritime transport.
This shows the projects initiatives towards the future. Since last November, within the TRACECA
framework, these projects are underway. So, in Tajikistan, I like to share with you what exactly is
happening in terms of our initiatives. So, in terms of our customs, the customs play a very importantrole in the transport of these cargo. In Tajikistan, we do identify that as an important role, so a onestop service is provided, and the regulations have been implemented accordingly. So, for instance, if
it is a truck transport. If they are permitted to pass through the border at one particular point or
one stop, and by going through this one particular area, all their relative documents will be checked.
So, this is a diagram of the procedure for passing through the border control. So, first of all, thetrucks will be checked at the point of entry at the border. But the bottleneck that exists within ourcountry is the lack of IT tools. As we speak, we have not been able to implement that. For instance,
I had the opportunity to pay a visit to Tokyo Customs and have been able to witness how IT tools
have been effectively used in Tokyo.
So, the staff of the customs would no longer need to open each single cargo because of the use of IT
tools. So, we do hope that we can introduce similar tools in our country as well. Now, between theyear 2020 to 2024, we have the program of development of customs authorities. So, a couple of years
ago this has been adopted in our country. And immediately after that we have seen the outbreak of
COVID-19. So, various programs’ initiatives, unfortunately, lagged behind or are slowing downbecause of the pandemic. This relates to the electronic declaration system and improvement of
infrastructure at border crossings. So, this has been one of the bottlenecks. And in order to address
this, various initiatives are underway. So, there’s an electronic declaration system. It is importantthat we transit, and also, shift to the electronic declaration system. So, we will connect with
Uzbekistan in this effort. In order for this electronic declaration system to work at the time ofcrossing of the border and also crossing of the customs, we need to build a new type of buildingsthat would enable these tools to be implemented. So, the improvement in the infrastructure, as
mentioned, the green corridor, we need to establish green quarters and also establish scanners andthe introduction of digitalization. These are all important.
And also, using smart tags and customs seals using GPS, that is another target that we have. Also,
as part of free trade, Tajikistan has been promoting this free trade. So, we have been able todramatically reduce the time required for the clearance, and also, transport of the cargo. Back in
2017, it used to be 3 hours. But last year in 2020, it has been reduced to 30 minutes. That is a reportthat we have received from the customs. So, at these major the customs points, basically, these are21the customs clearance time at the major points. I have mentioned that there is definitely a need forproper infrastructure. And the key here is the loss and the time that is happening right now. So,
these trucks are parked. Perhaps, there is not enough space for these trucks to park, so that has
been one of the bottlenecks. This slide shows some of the collaboration between Tajikistan and someof the collaborating countries. So, for instance, with Azerbaijan, this is the actual the cargo that has
been transported. And for instance, by mode of transportation, for instance, by road and so forth, it ischarted in this table. It shows the cooperation in terms of the rail with Azerbaijan. And this is a list
with Georgia related to the road transport. So, various data I am showing.
So, Georgia and our country, in terms of the rail transport, there has been none last year. So, lastyear it was primarily on the road transport only. It was unfortunate that there hasn’t been any railtransport. So, this shows the trade of turnover of Tajikistan with the countries of Central Asia andCaucasus. Right now, we do appreciate the fact that we still have a number of issues. So, the green
and the corridors will be established so that we can significantly increase the volume of trade withthese countries, that would lead to further manufacturing of different items, and also, the overall
production volume increase in general. So, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are the major partnercountries. So, Kazakhstan accounts for 20% of the total trade. And Uzbekistan is about 7% or so. And
Caucasus across countries, for instance, Azerbaijan is less than 1%. So, Azerbaijan’s contribution isless than 1% in terms of the total trade volume of our country. Of course, the lesser the trade,
obviously, that means less transportation volume as well.
Also, in terms of the interaction in terms of the political realm, so there are no numbers, but this isalso a very important issue. This is how we can collaborate in terms of politics. So, today is the 15thof March. So, yesterday and also today, in Baku, the project of simplified transit customs procedures
along the East-West Trans-Caspian International Middle Corridor, this project, has been the one of
the main topics of the multilateral meetings. So, basically, a one-stop single window principle has
been discussed. So, the top head of our customs authorities is participating as we speak in thismeeting held in Baku. Of course, there’s a time difference. Baku is still in the morning. So, I do
believe the meeting has already started. This year in 2023, we are expecting to have various
summits and exchange visits of the heads of a number of Central Asian and Caucasian republics andone of the agenda items is related to cooperation and transport procedures, relative to simplificationof customs procedures. That is all in terms of my presentation, apologies for going overboard withthe time, but thank you very much for listening.
Mr. Ichiba: Well, thank you very much. And now, next, from Uzbekistan, Director of Development ofTransport Corridors and Logistics Department, Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade, Mr.
Khashimov, the floor is yours.

22Mr. Abdulla Khashimov, Director of Development of Transport Corridors and Logistics Department,
Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan: Thank you very much, Mr. Ichiba
Hiroaki. Ladies and gentlemen, let me, on behalf of Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade ofUzbekistan say so many thanks for your onsite for organizing, inviting us here Tokyo. Together,
represented from Central Asia and Caucasus region for improving and for the development of a newtransport corridor alternative from the corridor via Russian territory. I would also like to thank Ms.
Watanabe, Professor Uyama, and Mr. Kurosu for their very fruitful presentations and good proposals.
It is well known that over the past 30 years Uzbek-Japanese friendly relations and multifaceted
cooperation have developed dynamically. Over the past years, with the participation of Japanesecompany, Marubeni, JOGMEC, Mitsubishi, Itochu, Sumitomo, Shivaki, Isuzu, and others, investment
projects more than 11 billion US dollars have been implemented in the fields of energy, agriculture,chemical, oil and the gas industry in Uzbekistan.
Today, to find the new alternative corridor is vital for Central Asian countries to improve the tradewith European countries, the United States, or other countries.
Within the framework of Central Asia Caucuses plus Japan format in our opinion, the following
proposals could be considered for the next proposals. First, we support to continue the harmonization
and unification of the regulatory and legal framework of international transport via this corridor.
Secondly, modernization of railway rolling stock, strengthening of containerization of cargotransportation, expansion of modality, electrification of railways will be required. It is necessary to
update the vehicle fleet, create favorable conditions for the transportation of goods by road andtransit, equalize fees, transfer international cargo transportation, including to/from third countries ona non-permissive basis.
The key task is the digitalization. And I fully agree with the proposals provided by Mr. Kurosu thatJapanese companies should and can participate in all these investment projects to improve
digitalization, customs and checkpoint of full transportation systems in Central Asia. It isapproximately $10 billion of investment needed here. And improvements in capacity in trade and theliving standards, and also, it will be very close Central Asian and Caucasus region with Japan andwith the Europe for the other side.
In all these areas, we are ready to cooperate with Japanese companies in the terms of attracting
investment new and high technologies, machines, technological mechanisms, and transport logistics
custom services. Finally, in my speech, I should say, we, together with the Japan side are ready todevelop this transport corridor, to transport this corridor, from a trade corridor to an economic
corridor, and an investment corridor, and humanitarian corridor, and the corridor to strong
friendship and mutual cooperation and collaboration. Thank you so much.

23

Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. From Maersk, Dr. Irakli Danelia, please.
Dr. Irakli Danelia, Business Development Head for Black Sea and Central Asia Regions of Maersk
Tbilisi, Georgia: Honorable guests, dear delegates, distinguished organizers, thank you very much forhaving me. It’s a pleasure, on behalf of Maersk, to present today, very briefly, the presentation due
to the fact that the time is quite limited and valuable for all of us, New Reality of Middle Corridor
Opportunities of Caucasus and Central Asia. Let me kick off with the new geopolitical circumstances
we are living right now. At the geopolitical configurations around the regional level, there arechallenges as well as the opportunities. Because when there are challenges, there is always room tohave opportunities as well as you may agree. First of all, very briefly about the challenges, the war
in the territory in Ukraine, they impose sanctions toward the Russia and Belarus; suspended
shipment by the global shipping lines to Russian commercial seaports, including Novorossiysk andSaint Petersburg; and last but not least, unreliability of Trans-Siberian transit corridor for the global
corporations coming from the Asian countries to Europe and vice versa.
But as already mentioned, when there are challenges, there is always the room to have theopportunities as well. And the opportunity has already come to the Middle Corridor, which became
one of the reliable alternatives for arranging the cargo flow deliveries from west to east and viceversa. And the Black Sea and Caspian Sea ports became the hub of the European and the Asian railroutes through the Middle Corridor. This is the new geopolitical circumstances and the economic
basis we are facing right now. So, when it comes to the current status and cooperation among the
Middle Corridor Member States, here we should consider the two levels of cooperation.
First is the political dialogue. And the second one is the operational technical level. Let me very
briefly touch the political one, which is organized by TRACECA, which was already mentioned bymy colleagues. I will avoid a comprehensive report on that part, but I would say that theIntergovernmental Commission promoting the development of logistical developments, not only thelogistical developments through the Corridor Member State countries, but also supporting forming
the facilitate, legislative basis among the countries. It’s about the logistics. It’s about the tradefacilitation. It’s about the economic coordination among the countries. and the Member States arepresented here, but apart from this, we have Türkiye, Bulgaria, Romania and so on. But when it
comes to the technical parts and technical level, we should emphasize the importance of the TITR,
Trans-Caspian International Transport Route Association. This is the coordination platform within
the Middle Corridor to create one-stop shop solutions among the countries by close cooperation
between the countries – railway companies, seaports, big logistical companies, as well as the logisticalproviders themselves.
Right now, the association is providing fixed and adapted rates through the corridor. For sure, there24

is always a way to improve. We can improve it, but this is, indeed, a vital platform which is able tocoordinate this smooth connectivity through the corridor. When it comes to the setbacks, let’s put itlike that, within the corridor, for sure, we can’t deny the fact. That the corridor is absolutely adapted
and there are no issues, no, this is not reality. But let me very briefly identify for you three key
points three key subjects where we, Maersk, have already experienced bottlenecks.
First is Caspian Sea operational limitation. The second one is the China-to-Central-Asia bordercapacity limitation. And third, last but not least, this is the digitalization, I mean track and tracing,visibility limitation. But those limitations are not the final stage. This can be improved and we at
Maersk are doing our best and focusing on that issue to contribute from our side. From Maersk’s
perspective, we see the importance of our participation in the process, not only as a shipping line, thebiggest shipping line worldwide, but as a global containerized logistical integrator. Our group has aworld class experience in tracking rail, a part of ocean, for sure, warehousing, distribution,intercontinental rail solutions, and as a global supply chain management organization. So, we see
ourselves as critically useful for the development of a Middle Corridor.
And in response to that, I can, with the pleasure, introduce our approaches and the projects alreadylaunched through the contribution of the corridor itself. First are the direct ocean services within theBlack Sea. When it comes to the connectivity between the Black Sea countries will launch the direct
service from Georgia to Ukraine before the war. But right now, we are working to substitute thesupport by Port Reni. It will be launched next week. This is very breaking news for us. Also, we
launched the direct service from Georgia to Romania to Constanţa. And by that solution, we areconnecting mainly the Chinese flows and the Central Asian flows to the western part of the Europe
and the European Union, mostly the countries like Germany, France, the UK and so on, and so forth.
We, already, since 2020, launched the block train solution coming from the China Sea ports throughKazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and further to European countries. We are fixing
the direct services from Poti, Georgia to Kazakhstan. The second phase will reach Turkmenistan.
And through Turkmenistan, there will be direct connectivity to Uzbekistan and the rest of the stancountries.
Warehousing and distribution is the one of the main points when it comes to the complex logisticalfocus on Caucasus and Central Asia and supply chain management adaptation. In that part, I would
like to emphasize the importance of the digitalization, which was already mentioned by ourcolleagues. But let me put it in a very practical way from our side. We are already cooperating with
the United Nations as well as the TRACECA in order to adopt the digital solution which we alreadyexperienced in the rest of the world, which is called the TradeLens, which underpinned by ablockchain solution for all potential stakeholders in the world, including the customs authorities of
the countries, seaports, rail companies, logistical companies, and shipping lines themselves. But apart25

from that, we are developing the local, separated, so-called individual digital solutions, which will be
adopted for the local specificities of the countries. So, we are very actively evaluating and working
on that project.
Apart from that, I’m sure the main interest from the audience could be the expectations from theforeign companies, particularly from the Japanese companies, what can be within and through thecorridor, when it comes to the Caucasus and Central Asia. The question on that, it’s and theargument behind it’s very easy to answer. The first one is the vast natural resources which can beabsorbed by the companies themselves and by the Japanese market representatives themselves –The robust transport and communication infrastructure, which has already existed, but extra
investment is always welcome. And as you may agree, the diversification of the resources,
investments and capital is always a good idea for business. Apart from that, the usage of adapted
human capital – And governmental incentives and support, when it comes to investment, it’s always
suitable. And we, at Maersk, we are more than happy to cooperate on joint-venture projects. And weare happy to consider any opportunity coming from Japan through the corridor, including startingfrom Georgia, ending with Kazakhstan, and the all the rest of the stan countries. And last but notleast, the area is very attractive. For Georgia, I can easily say that here there is direct access to sucha strategically important market like the European Union. As you may know, we have a deep andcomprehensive free trade agreement with the EU, which means that the export flows are free ofcharge, and there are a lot of benefits and facilitations which can be discussed separately after thepanel. So, thank you very much once again. And we’ll be looking forward to having one-to-ones witheach of you. Thank you very much.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much again. Next from Deputy Head of Transport and Logistics
Development Policy Department, Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Mr.
Rati Devadze, please.
Mr. Rati Devadze, Deputy Head of Transport and Logistics Development Policy Department,
Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia: Dear distinguished guests, His
Excellency Ambassador, our listeners online, good day. First of all, I would like to thank Minister of
Foreign Affairs as well as Global Forum of Japan for organizing and enabling this dialogue. For
Georgia, it is very important that Japan is interested in developing corridors through the nations ofSouth Caucasus and Central Asia. We are ready to cooperate and enhance relations in this direction.
As a short country profile, Georgia is strategically located on the crossroads of Europe and Asia,with 2.3-billion-dollar market access on different geographical locations that we have free trade with.
Hence, Georgia is not just a transit country, but a place to do business with other countries around.
Also, as an advantage, we have very flat rates and low taxes. And we don’t have profit tax whenrevenue is reinvested. And Georgia is recognized as one of the easiest places to do business at. You

26

can open a business there in one or two days and procedures are very simple. We also have a highly
educated and skillful labor force. And we have very stable and fast developing banking system. And
our infrastructure is high quality, and we are always developing our infrastructure, and I will touchupon this subject later on as well.
Here, you can see our network, transportation and logistics network of Georgia. Hence, we haveabundance of high-quality road and rail network in Georgia as well as high quality ports and airports.
We have two container ports so far in Georgia, Batumi and Poti, with combined capacity of around
350,000 TEUs per annum. Our railway throughput capacity is around 27 million tonnes per annum.
As I have mentioned, we have a very generous and lucrative geographical location. Although, weknow that we need to supplement this location advantage with high quality and developing hard
infrastructure as well. Hence, we have a number of large-scale infrastructural projects, for instance, arailway modernization project that will increase throughput capacity of the Georgian railway from 27
million tonnes to around 48 million tonnes; it is approximately a doubling of throughput capacity of
the Georgian railway. We also have the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project, that is a very historicalproject not only for Georgia, but for the entire region as well. And it’s because it’s the first time
Georgia, Türkiye and Azerbaijan are connected by railway infrastructure. It was not possible until
2017. In 2017, as this route was opened in a test mode, and already up to this time more than
1,000,000 tonnes of cargo has been transported on this route.
Last year, for instance, around 20,000 TEU of containers were transported by this route, enablingand enhancing regional trade of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Georgia and farther to the Central Asian. Also,
we are modernizing and constructing highway infrastructure in Georgia. Already, 200 kilometres
have been constructed. And for the rest of the part, the process of construction is uninterruptedly inprocess. We also would like to develop Georgia as a regional hub for logistics centers and logistics
infrastructure, because we see that evaluating services is very important for developing Georgia as aregional transport and logistics hub. Hence, in the pipeline, there are two projects. One is in thewestern part of Georgia, next to Kutaisi Airport, in Kutaisi. And the second one is next to Tbilisi,
called Tbilisi Logistics Center. In addition to that, when it comes to maritime infrastructure, we havealso several projects in the pipeline in Georgia and one is an expansion of Poti seaport, also PACE
Terminal plans to enhance its infrastructure, which will double their throughput and capacity.
And the project which is very large-scale in Georgia is the Anaklia Deep Sea Port project. I’ll talk indetail about this project. In the phase one of this project, it is ambitious to reach 600,000 TEU of
handling capacity in the port and receiving up to 10,000 TEU vessels per call. And it will havearound 16 meters of the draft in the port. And, indeed, there are some dredging works that havebeen conducted, and you can see that on the photo as well. And last month, February 20, theMinistry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia announced a statement of intent for27

selecting new investors. Interested candidates are requested to submit legal documents as well as
information related to their experience and financial spending until May 19 this year, 2023. And then,evaluation by the commission of selection will be held in July, to identify the investors of the project.
For this, the Georgian Government will participate with 51% of shares in construction of this project,which is an incentive for investor companies to understand that the Georgian Government wants tobuild Anaklia Deep Sea Port, which not only will be beneficial for Georgia, but also for the entire
corridor and the entire region as well, because increasing throughput capacity and efficient operationof ports in Georgia has a spillover effect on the different countries that transport goods throughGeorgia. You can also see the contact person there if further information is needed. Or you can ask
later on, and I can give you more information here.
So, these are the countries that we have agreements with, in different directions, whether it is arailway, civil, aviation, maritime transport, or just organizations, international organizations.
TRACECA already has been mentioned. Also, we have an agreement on the Lapis Lazuli route. And
we have ongoing negotiations also on the Caspian Sea-Black Sea corridor. Here, we can see the rootof the Middle Corridor. And we can see that from 2015-2016, we have very stable and increasing
growth of containers transported through Georgia on the Middle Corridor from and to China. And
when you see the numbers, you can understand that even before COVID hit the world and it had adevastating effect on the supply chains in the world, the corridor, still, was developing, meaning thatthe attractiveness of the corridor is regardless of what the geopolitical or health-related issues are in
the world. So, we put high hopes on the corridor, that in the future as well it will further develop
and attract more cargo on it. Of course, Russian aggression in Ukraine exacerbated the signal
towards logistics companies across Asia and across Europe that there are new routes to be found.
Because, only on one route, you cannot rely on everything.
Hence, of course, that influenced attention and grew attention on the Middle Corridor as well, andUkraine is one of the important routes of the Middle Corridor as well. And we hope that after
stabilization of activities in Ukraine, after ports are open, we can still use Ukrainian the transport
network to transport goods and enhance economic activity as well. Here, when it comes toconnection between Japan and Georgia, Japan and Türkiye, which is also one of the routes of the
Middle Corridor, we see that between Japan and Georgia we have around 30 million USD tradeturnover. Of course, there is more trade between Türkiye and Japan as well. It is around 4 billion
USD. And there is much more trade between Japan and the European Union, which is around 150
billion. So, these trades can go through the Middle Corridor when we are utilized. And we are readyto pass cargo between Japan and the European Union, and between Japan and Türkiye throughGeorgia, which is a reliable transportation route. That’s all from my side. Thank you very much forthe attention.

28

Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. Now, I would like to invite the Japanese panelists. So, I would like
you to keep your time, since we are behind the schedule. First of all, from JICA, Deputy Director
General, Infrastructure Management Department, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Mr.
Koizumi, the floor is yours.
Mr. Koizumi Yukihiro, Deputy Director General, Infrastructure Management Department, Japan
International Cooperation Agency: My name is Mr. Koizumi. I am from JICA. Today, I would like totalk about two points. So, you are seeing the three different pictures. On the left hand-side and also
on middle side, you are looking at different ones. So, as you can see, JICA has offices in 96 countries
and operates in 150 countries and regions. The transportation and the transport infrastructure is one
that is in great need of support from countries around the world. As you can see, Central Asia andalso Caucasus are all integrated into the global trade. And the second one is about the maritime
security capacity improvement. And number five is urban public transportation. Next please. So, theMekong area, you may not know much about the Mekong. But there are eight countries in Central
Asia and Caucasus. The population size is about 9 million – 242 million people. And the population
size is 2.5 times larger. And the GDP is almost five times larger.
The chart shows the growth of GDP per capita in the Mekong region countries with the year 2000
at 100. And although, it varies slightly from country to country, Laos and others have grown 4-5
times. And when it comes to FDI, this is the example of Cambodia. In 2000, foreign investment wasvery limited. But in the last 20 years, it increased 30-fold. So, it is very important to understand thelogistics. So, the quality of the logistics has been touched upon. But the customs and also smoothcustom clearance procedures, these are all very important. So, how did we, JICA, contribute to this?
This is the example of year 2008. Number one is correct the disparities among the countries in theregions. Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, these are the sort of the delayed countries. So, we reallyhave to fill the gap between the other countries.
And the second one is to promote regional integration. And the third one is to achieve a smoothconnectivity. So, these are the things that we proposed. For connectivity, there are three key points.
Number one is the physical transportation facilities. The second one is the connectivity such as
customs and others. And the third one is people-to-people. So, these three connectivities are very
important and also essential. So, we are here today together in this room, but it is very important toincrease the connectivity between people. So, this is about the Southern Economic Corridor. From
Ho Chi Minh to Cambodia, to Thailand, the connectivity has been enhanced. And Cambodia wasparticular in the delayed status when it comes to transportation. Can you see the difference? If you
go back once – ferries in the Mekong River, but now this is connected like this. So, this is thesituation of 2025. From Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh, there are about 240 kilometers with Japanese
Shinkansen. It is only one hour so. But in 2001, it took 12 hours by car. So, with the road and bridge

29

constructions, now in 2015, you can reach there within six hours. Please look at the blue portion. The
yellow portion is the road improvement in Cambodia. And thanks to this that the commuting time
has become significantly shorter.
Please look at the blue area. The blue area is the custom clearance procedure between Vietnam andCambodia. And there is no improvement in the border custom clearance. Therefore, Japan, JICA,
initiated the project to improve logistics in Cambodia. This is about the border. Custom clearance
procedures started in 2019. And we ran the pilot project. And the capacity increased from 50 cars
and trucks per hour to 80 per car. And with the simplification of the procedure, now you can shorten
the time. And these are the achievements. Now moving on to East Africa. East Africa – Kenya,
Tanzania, Rwanda – 7 different countries are in eastern Africa, but the population is almost twice.
And the economic size is almost 1.3 times. So, 1000 meter is the unit of the maps, so you compare thetwo regions. Please look at the landlocked countries. Rwanda is a landlocked country. And there are
two international routes for ports. But both of them are 1,500 kilometers. And it’s all landtransportation. And Rwanda is far away from the port, therefore the cost of imports and exports,
almost 40% of that is logistical cost. For Kenya, a coastal country, the share of the logistics is only
12%. So, landlocked countries have this significant disadvantage.
So, through TICAD and other initiatives, we try to improve the corridor for those countries. And
this is one example of Lusmo. This is the border bridge. This bridge was constructed during thecolonial time, and it is very narrow and old. And it was made into a wider bridge so that several
lanes were available. And also, border custom clearance became much simpler. And also, we madethe very major road. O.S.B.P. is written here, which means one-stop border post. So just one stop is
efficient to clear the customs. So, with this, this is about the cargo. When the truck goes through theborder, it used to take 8 hours. But now it’s two hours and 20 minutes. So, this much simplification
was done. This is the logistics performance index of Rwanda. It was ranked as the worst three on
the list, but now it has gradually improved and is much higher than the average of African countries,
the 57th. The Türkiye is 3.15, but it is almost the same as Türkiye. So, even a landlord country canbe at this level with the improvement of inland corridors.
So, lastly, this is the message that I really want to convey. The common consensus and strong
commitment by all countries involved is paramount to improving logistics and strengthening
connectivity. The people who are here should be really aware of the challenges and issues, and thenhave to improve the situation. Second, it is essential that the development of transportation
infrastructure, customs procedure, legal regulations and human resource development be
implemented in a harmonious way. And finally, JICA would like to work to strengthen connectivity
in Central Asia and also Caucasus. Thank you very much.

30

Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. We would like to hear from the Ministry of Finance, Ms. Sasaki
Asuka, Senior Deputy Director, International Cooperation Division, Custom & Tariff Bureau.
Ms. Sasaki Asuka, Senior Deputy Director, International Cooperation Division, Custom & Tariff
Bureau, Ministry of Finance of Japan: Thank you very much for the introduction. My name is Sasaki.
I am from the Custom & Tariff Bureau of the Ministry of Finance. Thank you very much for givingme this opportunity. So, today I’d like to share with you the international cooperation related to thecustoms tariffs area. So, all in all, Japan is an island country. So, the countries are landlocked
countries. So, of course, the assumptions could be quite dramatically different from Japan. But it istrue that the role that the customs bureau would bear, and also the issues, I do believe those arecommon with your countries. And the WCO, we do have the international organization, the World
Customs Organization. We are all members of this organization addressing similar issues. So, I’d liketo share with you the current international cooperation and where Japan’s stands. And that would
be a food for thought for your future endeavors.
So, I would like to share with you the scheme of the international cooperation. So, in terms of thesignificance of international cooperation, these are some of the trends related to international
cooperation relative to the customs. So, in the central part, the bubbles, we have a number ofinternational initiatives listed here – FTA, EPA, of course, we have those. And at WTO, there is atrade facilitation agreement that has just been concluded. And also, we have CMAA in the middle,
this relates to international commitments among customer authorities to provide mutual assistancein preventing the smuggling of illicit goods and border control of IP goods and so forth. So, CMAA
has been concluded. So, those are some of the trends related to international cooperation. And we
also have a digitalization. This is, of course, not just for customs, but that is a very important trend –AI and also the usage of cutting-edge technology.
Also, some of the disaster prevention for infectious disease preventive measures. These are definitely
the trends that we would all have to address. So, definitely, we bear a very important role within
logistics. Both the exporters and importers, we do need a close collaboration. So, as I have justmentioned, based on these international trends, we definitely see more of a diversification andadvancement of logistics. So, in terms of digitalization and also infectious disease prevention, we dobelieve we need to interact more with the private sector. So, in the customs area, I’d like tospecifically talk about what would be some of the measures. So, I do believe there are three roles
fulfilled by customs, which is the trade facilitation, safe and secure society, and also, appropriate
collection of custom duties. These are the three major roles of customs. And I do believe this iscommon across the board in the world. So, in order to realize that I do believe there are twoelements that are necessary.

31

First is we need to have a custom clearance system in accordance with international standards,
which is on the left hand-side. And also, on the right hand-side, we need the appropriate and correctknowledge and operational capabilities of the staff involved. So, in order to assist in this, we would
like to collaborate within this framework of international cooperation. So, going forward, I’d like toshare with you some of the concrete details related to the support schemes. We have, roughly
speaking, two formats. On the left hand-side, these certain activities in Japan. And on the right handside, these are the activities abroad, workshops and so forth. So, we have some events held in Japanand also abroad. So, there are three schemes. The first is ODA, which is specifically assisted by theGovernment of Japan. And in the middle, this is the capacity building activity through WCO, forinstance, through funds and also HR. So, this is the contribution to your WCO. and the third is the
JICA scheme. So, roughly speaking, there are three schemes related to this.
Here’s an example of the workshop in Japan. So, these are the concrete examples. It really depends
on the scheme, but the duration is normally one to two weeks. And the number of participants was
about 10 to 15 officials from abroad. So, we would convene them, or we would invite them to provide
them with different workshops on different subjects, and there would be venues visits and so forth
to enhance their knowledge and conduct training. So, in the customs area, it relates to how
appropriately and how effectively can we conduct the customs clearance. So, just, this is the productcategory that is common across the board in the world. So, how can we manage this HS as acategory classification for instance? It’s the workshop in Japan for Central Asia and Caucasus
between 2019 to 2021. So, as you can tell, there’s been 9 instances of workshops, and 23 customs
officials have visited Japan. So, what’s shown here is the online workshop that was conducted. So,
using the JICA scheme, we have introduced, or we have held this workshop through an online basis.
Next is the case where we would conduct these activities abroad. So, between the years of 2015 to2018, we have conducted 4 workshops. And we dispatched six of our Japan customs officials. On theleft hand-side, for instance, is the WCO sub-regional workshop. So, it is not bilateral, but it’s rather onan area basis we have dispatched our customs officials as experts. Also, we have a bilateral technicalcooperation on customs laboratories. So, there are some cases where we may conduct this under abilateral framework. Next, it relates to the joint project between WCO and JICA, and how we, as
customs, are contributing to it. So, by conducting this jointly with WCO and JICA, we can leverageon the experts and specialty of WCO, and also, the guides that is complying with international
standards, those could be leveraged. And also, on top of that, we can leverage on the expertise andthe insights of JICA. Those are the benefits of this joint project.
So likewise, we are dispatching other customs officials abroad. So, in terms of the concrete projects,
since 2007 onwards, those have been underway. On OSBP, I think there was an explanation from
JICA. One-stop border post has been provided towards Africa. So, MTP is a master trainer program.

32

That is another one. So, again, this is a catered towards African countries and also island countries.
So, those are still ongoing as we speak. So, I’d like to give you more details on these one-stop border
posts first, OSBP. There has been an explanation already. So, at the border, if you were to passthrough the border crossing, these are some of the procedures. The clearance procedure as a wholewill be conducted at one facility. So, both to import and export customs clearance could be conductedunder one instance. So, we have also dispatched the customs officials from Japan. So, between
country A and country B, the customs officials from both countries would have the same level ofcapability and knowledge. And we have contributed enhancing the general level of expertiseamongst the customs officials of those two countries.
Next is a program called MTP, Master Trainer Program. As you can read here, we have a countries
A, B, and C. So, the customs officials, the representatives, they would actually act as mentors or
masters. So, they would be receiving a training for two to three years or so, to become the mastertrainer. So, after three years and after passing the test and being qualified to become the mastertrainer, they can engage in work. So, Country A or Country B, for instance, they can engage intraining of the custom officials. Also, they can engage the private sector to provide various trainings.
So, that is the nature of this MTP. So, to become the master trainer, we have assisted in producing
the materials for the training of these master trainers ready in Africa. We have established 150
master trainers and have been nurtured them already. Through these master trainers, we haveconducted various training. And more than 43,000 people, or officials, have been trained throughthese master trainers. So, it has been very efficient and very effective and highly evaluated within
WCO.
This is another example of MTP, Master Trainer Program, just for your reference, this is the flow
chart. So, in the course of three years or so, they would reach the final phase and become the mastertrainer. So, this is just for your reference. Again, this is just for your reference. Last year, thenumber of workshops that were held was in Japan, these are the numbers. That is all from my end.
So, in the customs area, the idea is how we can promote this international standard. And, of course,
we would need to incorporate more of a digitalization, that would lead to expediting the custom
clearance process. So, it would not suffice just to engage domestically only, we would need todefinitely engage others outside of the country. That is all from my end. Thank you very much.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. Now moving on, this is about what they are working on inCentral Asia and also Eurasian transportation. So, I would like to invite Mr. Ozeki from Nissin.
Mr. Ozeki Makoto, Deputy General Manager, NVOCC Department, Nissin Corporation (Deputy
Secretary General of Coordination Council on Trans Eurasian Transportation): Thank you very muchfor your introduction. I am from Nissin Corporation. I’ll be speaking on the topics of logistics in33

Central Asia and Caucasus. I hope my presentation will be useful for you. This is a table of contents
of today’s presentation. So, since time has been limited, I’d like to go into number 2, and also, number
3, about the logistic cost from Japan, Central Asia and Caucasus. So, I would like to highlight thesetwo points. So, I will skip my railroad businesses.
So, now, let me talk about why the Caspian Sea route is attracting so much attention. In March 2021,
a stranding accident occurred in the Suez Canal. And cargoes bound for Europe, which until thenhad been transported exclusively by sea, suddenly flew onto the Siberian Land bridge right here.
And last year, 2022, February 24, Russia invaded into Ukraine, and a number of companies began torefrain from actively using the Trans-Siberian Railway. And as of now, transit transport to Europe
on the Trans-Siberian Railway is not really functioning. In another words, the situation has reverted
to the old situation where the only route to Europe is a sea route via the Suez Canal. So, the ocean
route through the Suez Canal, this is the only route that we are using at this moment. The CaspianSea route is now attracting attention as a more environmentally friendly route that bypasses Belarus
and Russia, and it should be used effectively as a BCP response to the vulnerability of the Suez
Canal. Now, going from Japan, going through the Chinese ports and the Caspian Sea, Caucasus, andalso, Black Sea or Türkiye, then, going into the European continent, so that is the current route.
And as I said, there are several issues need to be solved when it comes to the Caspian Sea. I hopethat the customers can use it with peace of mind, as soon as possible, through cooperation between
the public and private sectors in each country. In the past, the transportation routes were selectedbased on the freight cost, and secondly transit time, the number of days in transit. So, these twowere the major criteria for selecting transportation routes. But now, as you see on the slide, thenumber three, companies are required to give special attention to the environment. Using railroad
more frequently can be friendly to the environment. And also, you always have to have a backup
plan in case of an accident. The Caspian Sea route number 3 and number 4, the Caspian Sea route
meets the criteria of number 3 and 4. Now, moving on to the logistic cost from Japan to Central Asia
to Caucasus. You have to go through three different countries. So, I talked about the transit logistics,
but now between Japan and Central Asia and Caucasus, we have to think of bilateral transportation.
This shows the logistics cost between Japan to Central Asia and Caucasus. The leftmost blue area isthe freight weight for a 40-foot container to Hamburg, Germany, and the graph shows the ratio withthis rate set at one. The red figures are for the capitals or major cities of each of the five Central
Asian countries and the transportation route is the China Land Bridge. Yellow figures are for thecapitals of three Caucasus countries, Baku and others. And the transportation route is by land
trucking from the Georgian Poti port on the Black Sea. If you see this, Hamburg is 1, and now
Almaty is 33.6 times, which means that for the 40-foot container from Almaty, Kazakhstan you cancarry 4 40TB containers to Hamburg. If you want to send it to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan 5, and 7 to34

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. So, the Central Asia really cost much more than others. So, for logistics
companies, it is not really a normal situation.
Connecting Europe and Asia, Central Asia is the center of the Eurasian continent, and Central Asia
has a geopolitical advantage. But when it comes to the logistical connection from Japan bilaterally,
this is exactly the opposite of this situation. Everyone is aware that this logistic situation is extremely
high cost in Central Asia. I hope that everyone could be aware of this situation. I don’t think that you
can halve the price right away. But each country’s government, railroad companies, and shipping
companies should be aware of the situation and by lobbying at the governmental level or at thesecompany levels, hopefully the logistics between Japan and Central Asia and Caucasus will improve inthe future. That’s it. Thank you very much.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. Thank you to all the panelists. We would now like to move on to
the Q&A session. So, from my end, I’d like to pose a couple of questions to the panelists from Central
Asia and Caucasus. We’re really running out of time, so if you would like to keep your answer short,that would be highly appreciated. So, first of all, I’d like to ask Mr. Adepbayev from Kazakhstan –you mentioned that you have the target to become the hub for transit, and you have shared with us
a number of topics within your presentation. So, for instance, for the digitalization of customs, thesoftware-related initiatives would also be important. So, Tajikistan mentioned about the bilateraltreaty to be concluded with Kazakhstan. That was the point mentioned from Tajikistan. So, from
Kazakhstan’s basis, do you believe it is possible to have such a bilateral agreement?
Mr. Adepbayev: Thank you very much for that question. That is a very good question by the way.
The answer is yes, because, Kazakhstan, we are definitely looking towards that direction. And we dohave the roadmap. And I have also alluded to that within my presentation. So, within the roadmap,
we do have a line item under the customs clearance. So, under the Ministry of Industry, we areengaging in various practical meetings and also various committees. So, under these, we have beenaddressing this issue. In fact, just last year, in December, the transport logistics concept has been
approved, at the end of last year. And customs clearance was one of the items approved. Now, forthe point related to digitalization, Kazakhstan, we are very much keen on promoting this version.
Thank you very much for that question.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. For Kazakhstan and also for us, it is a very good process. Now, I’dlike to ask Mr. Kurmanbekov of Kyrgyz. In your presentation, Kyrgyz is a landlocked country, so to
go to the ocean, you really have to go through the Kazakhstan and other neighboring countries, so
you really have to have improved the logistics. So, for Kazakhstan and other neighboring countries,
what type of the logistics facilitation improvement are you expecting?

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Mr. Kurmanbekov: Thank you for your question. Well, in reality I mentioned this in my presentation.
But Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country, so there is no outlet for the ocean. However, we export
goods not just for the neighboring countries, but also far away countries across the sea. So, when it
comes to the cargo, I don’t see much of a problem. You mentioned about Kazakhstan, and in theadministrative level, Kyrgyzstan, and also, Kazakhstan, the cargo between the two countries,
sometimes, they have a problem of a long waiting time. We have to solve this problem. And also, ourlogistic companies, when you go through Turkmenistan, you have to get the visa. And that visa is
only a one-time visa. And Kyrgyzstan really has to work with Turkmenistan to solve the problems
about the visa. And we concluded the understanding, so that it can be valid for the one year. That
was last year’s October or November, but Kyrgyzstan with Uzbekistan, we had concluded theunderstanding. The name of that – Let me check – Leasing Ferry Iran Kyrgyzstan Negotiation. And
also, Iranian logistic companies, we made arrangements to use a ferry. So, that’s it from me. Thankyou very much.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. The next question Mr. Mirzoev from Tajikistan. So, in thepresentation, you mentioned that you have an agreement on the electronic declaration with
Uzbekistan and others. So, what do you identify as issues for the introduction of such an electronic
declaration system?
Mr. Mirzoev: So, the electronic declaration, as you rightly mentioned, we were able to successfully
conclude it. So, we are in the process to conclude that with Kazakhstan as well. We do intend toconclude a similar agreement with other countries. So, as far as the conclusion with Uzbekistan, rightnow, we do not foresee any specific issues. Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, we’re closely working with
one another for the introduction of an electronic declaration system. Of course, there could be sometechnical issues. Perhaps additional infrastructure is required. So, aside from those, we do not foresee
any significant issues in the introduction.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. Now let me ask Mr. Khashimov from Uzbekistan please. For the
Caspian Sea route, there are two routes – through Kazakhstan, and also, the other one is
Turkmenistan. So, what type of challenges do you have for both routes?
Mr. Khashimov: Thank you very much. We have two different routes. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan,both of them are very flexible. And Uzbekistan has been engaged in a trade in this manner. And the
trading amount is $4.5 billion. And so, answering your question, railroad cost should be lowered.
Export cargo transportation, especially the railroad cost, should be reduced. So, Japan and Uzbekistan
have an agreement. And transit cost should be also reduced. And currently, we are studying theway to reduce it. For Central Asia, Caucasus, and Türkiye, last year, there was agreement was
made, a tariff. The three governments will take incentives for the tariffs. And for digitalization, about36

10 years ago, the Japanese government provided us two large scanners. And between Uzbekistan
and Afghanistan, the volume of transportation increased up to 3,000,000 tons. And in the last 10
years, we’ve been using it very usefully. So, I would like to thank the Japanese people.
As the MOFA official said, for MOFA, and also, JICA, I have a request to make, through different
projects, Central Asian logistics to be improved. Navoi Airport, that is the priority for us. It has agreat potential. And from there, going through the outlet, going through the land transportationroute, going to Asia. And we really have to improve the skills of the officials of logistics, and also,
improve the capability of the customs officers. Thank you.
Mr. Ichiba: Now moving on to Georgia, Dr. Danelia. So, in your presentation, you mentioned about
the changes in the geopolitical situation and also you mentioned about the practical aspects of that.
So, I’d like to ask you a question about the practical aspects of this. From Japan to the Caspian Sea,
we have to go through Poti port, and also, hub ports in Türkiye, and sometimes the feeder lines arevery inconvenient. So, would you share with us the expanding shipping service from Poti port?
Dr. Danelia: Well, first of all, thank you very much for the question. This is a very important question
because as already mentioned within my presentation, the Black Sea and the Poti port, itself, areacting as the main gateway for the Caucasus and Central Asian landlocked countries. Right now,under the current circumstances, we are having the regular flows. When I’m using, we, it means that
we, as Maersk, but at the same time the whole industry, including the rest of the global shippinglines, which are widely presented in Georgia, in the Black Sea, in each country, including Bulgaria,
Romania, Georgia and Türkiye. When it comes to the services, there is there are regular services
from Poti to Ambarlı, Istanbul port. I can easily say that year to year the volume is increasing. And
the capacity in a parallel way is increasing from 15 to 22%, which is an absolutely great number, if I
may say like that. A part form that, it is already mentioned, we already launched the direct service
from Poti to Constanţa. Mainly, this direct service, which takes only up to two days as a transit time,is dedicated for the flows coming from China, from Kazakhstan, from the rest of the easterncountries, through Azerbaijan and Georgia, to Europe, and vice versa. This direct service toConstanţa is already in the interest of the Japanese companies. Within the pipeline, what we aremanaging from our perspective, and from the customers, we are managing within our services inJapan. So apart from it, as already mentioned, we will officially launch the direct service from Poti toa Ukrainian new port; it’s called Reni. The transit time will be up to two days again. And throughRene, we will connect Ukraine through the hinterland solutions by rail combined services. So, on theBlack Sea, I can definitely say that the connectivity on the ocean part is not an issue. For sure, whenit comes to the new flows through the corridor, it’s always a matter of discussion if the capacity
needs to be increased, if the capacity needs to be widened. And we, at Maersk, are more than readyto consider any kind of offers and or solution on that part. Thank you very much.

37

Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. I would like to ask Mr. Devadze from Georgia, you mentioned
about an expansion of the connectivity through the rail between Georgia and Türkiye, so what aresome of the issues you may foresee for further expansion of connectivity?
Mr. Devadze: Thank you very much for the interesting question. Indeed, the BTK has changed again
in the connectivity in the region, as before it was connected through roads only. So, we wereconnected to Türkiye by roads. But from 2017, it is now available to transport cargo with anenvironmentally friendly transportation mode, which is also very important currently, not only fromthe government side, but also this is the direction that attention is paid by the private players as
well. In the future, we foresee considerable growth in the cargo between Central Asia, and the Far
East, and Türkiye, and Europe. And you mentioned what might be the challenges. Well, the thing is
we need to complete construction, because it is still under construction currently. And thetransportation is in the test mode, so we need to complete the construction of the BTK line fully, thatwould enable design capacity to be utilized at 5,000,000 tonnes per year. So, this will enable andincrease the capacity for intra-regional trade as well. And in addition to that, we need thedigitalization of the corridor and not only BTK, it is one of the routes, but we need to digitalize thetransportation corridor through Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and other Central Asian countries
as well. That would enable track and tracing system, that was also mentioned today, and increasetransparency and accessibility from private companies to the services that is provided by operatorsin the corridor as a whole. Thank you very much.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. This concludes Panel Discussion 1. Well, thank you very much foryour participation, all the panelists. OK. We take a break, and at 4:50, we will have another panel
discussion.

3. Panel Discussion 2
MC: We are starting Panel Discussion 2 now. Please take your seat.
Mr. Ichiba: Now, let’s begin Panel Discussion 2: Digitalization in trade and customs. Please start yourpresentation after we call upon your name, same as the Panel Discussion 1. For the smoothproceeding of the panel discussion, please make sure that you keep to your time. In this session, we
will be hearing from the experts from Azerbaijan and also Turkmenistan about their digitalization
activities, followed by the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation sharing their demonstration
initiatives. And also, the World Customs Organization will be discussing about the digitalization inthis region. And the last speaker is from NX Logistic Research Institute and Consulting about thedigitalization. So, first of all, from Azerbaijan, the Head of Transport Policy Department, Ministry of
Digital Development and Transport, Mr. Aliyev, please.

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Mr. Fariz Aliyev, Head of Transport Policy Department, Ministry of Digital Development andTransport, Azerbaijan: Thank you very much, Mr. Ichiba. Dear ladies and gentlemen, first of all, on
behalf of the Republic of Azerbaijan, I’d like to extend our sincere greetings and express our
gratitude for the organization of such an important event and inviting all of us to participate in this.
We firmly believe that on the background of complex geopolitical tensions in the world, multinational
cooperation platforms like this will help our countries to uncover new opportunities in the field ofinternational trade and logistics. What we have in hand is called Trans-Caspian International
Corridor. I think the speakers which talked before me, they have mentioned important technicalaspects of the corridor, so I will not go to the details. I’ll just give a different approach to the corridor
itself.
The Trans-Caspian International Corridor is considered to be the shortcut between Asia and Europe,
having 6500 kilometers, and offering 14 days of transport transit time, and bypassing Russia and Iran,which are considered to be relatively insecure countries due to the current political situation. So,
what we are offering actually is safety, operational efficiency and competitiveness. But these are theeconomic aspects of the issue. Apart from the economic interests, I think the Middle Corridor is built
on mutual support and cooperation. So, the Middle Corridor is not only a transit corridor, but also aplatform of friendship, brotherhood and solidarity. Since we realised the importance of the corridor,
we should first look at the efforts each country has realized for the facilitation of the processes
through the corridor.
On behalf of my country, I should say that Azerbaijan puts huge emphasis on this project, and thisis merely reflected in the initiatives and numbers we have accomplished. With the leadership of our
President, His Excellency Ilham Aliyev, great efforts have been dedicated to the progress at bilateraland multilateral levels. Huge infrastructure projects have been realized. The national shipping linesof Azerbaijan, called ASCO, owns the largest maritime fleet in the Caspian Sea with 54 ships, 13
ferries, two Ro-Ro ships, and two Ro-Pax ships. We recently we have invested more than 1 billion to
the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars project, which is expected to bring huge support to the corridor with thecapacity of 7,000,000 tons per year. We have launched the second phase of Baku seaport expansion.
And also, we’re considering the Baku-Zangezur corridor, which also will be the part of the corridor
in the future. Recently, we have built 2 airports in Fuzuli and Zangilan, in the territories which got
liberated from the invasion. And there is one more airport which being considered to be rebuilt.
So, thanks to these efforts, I would say in 2022, we have had a 63% increase in transit volume andreached to the volume of about 7.5 million tons. It could be 15. And with infrastructure upgrades, itwill become 25 million tons. But in comparison with the entire volume, it’s nothing. I would say if I’m
not mistaken, the trade turnover between Japan and the European Union is about €60 billion per
year. So, in this prospect, I think we have still have lots of things to do. We are expanding our

39relationships with the European Union in order to establish strong political relationships there basedon mutual trust and support. This year in Davos, our President has announced that we will double
the natural gas exports to European Union. Also, there is a Black Sea underwater electric cableproject, which is about to be inaugurated, to carry Azerbaijani-made wind and solar power toEuropean Union. So, geographical location got extra support from favorable relationships we have
got with both Asia and Europe. But that’s not the end of the story. Still, a lot to go.
So here we should see the expansion of the transit capacity, but this transit capacity cannot be
achieved by only one country. So, if Azerbaijan achieves a transit capacity of 25 million tons in Baku,
seaport, for example, and Türkmenbaşy can only offer 15, it means our capacity is still 15. The samegoes for the transit time. If, in Baku, we handle it for 20 hours, but, in Aktau, it’s 10 hours. It means
we are still lagging behind of our commitment. So, there is a very important Japanese saying here, I
think, chōwa, which says harmony if I’m not wrong. Harmony is very important to achievethroughout the corridor to make sure that we are all on the same page.
And another important issue related to the Middle Corridor, of course, is the digitalization of thecorridor. It’s like simplification of the process. It entails simplification of border crossing procedures,
implementing a single electronic transit customs document along the Middle Corridor, introducing
and adapting the application of international mechanisms of transit facilitation such as eTIR, eCMR,
eSMGS, et cetera. But all of this requires a common digital platform to ensure reliable and secure
information exchange. And here comes the challenge how to find a common ground to serve thepriorities and expectations of all stakeholders. So, there are further issues here like productownership, transfers of risks, unification of standards, etc. And in this direction, also, we are making
some multilateral efforts to facilitate the process. Today, we have a global symposium in Baku withthe participation of WCO Secretary General, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, I think.
As we see Japan is somehow becoming a leading facilitator in the process. And at the same time, wehave received recommendations from the UN Economic Council, where they drafted document for
intelligent transport systems, which includes eTIR, eCMR, eSMGS, et cetera. So, as for our side, wehave adopted the legal framework for application of eCMR and several agreements with otherpartners to apply the same. But these actions are relatively fragmented. So, we should come up witha single unified platform which is equally accessible, reliable and useful, and informative for all theusers. So, there are further issues like cyber security integration, centralized dispatching andoperating system, single platform, ownership, international recognition, etc. So, there are couple ofoptions available in the world, but we are still considering the options. I hope at today’s symposiumin Baku, they will come up with a solution towards this direction.
And at the end, answering to Mr. Kurosu’s concerns of what the challenges are and what we are40thinking of to overcome those challenges, I think the major challenges we face are related to themodernization of the infrastructure, both in Baku sea port and our railway system, and offering
digitalization solutions, and investing in affairs, namely Alat Free Economic Zone, which offers
favorable conditions for all the international investments.
So, I would like to finish my speech with this statement. We are welcome all the Japanese investors
to consider all these three directions to cooperate with the Azerbaijani government for futurefacilitation of the Middle Corridor. Thank you very much.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. From Turkmenistan, Mr. Kakamuradow, Head of Department of
Customs Statistics, State Customs Service.
Mr. Yklym Kakamuradow, Head of Department of Customs Statistics, State Customs Service,
Turkmenistan: Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon to all the participants. On behalf of the
Custom Service of Turkmenistan, I would like to extend my greetings. So, in terms of digitalization,
it is definitely a priority in order for us to address the systemic issue of the country. So, at thenational level, we do have a number of concepts being adopted. First of all, up until 2025, the digital
economy development concept, and also, from 2021 to 2025, the five-year digital economy
development program. Those are the two that have been adopted across different sectors and also
different operations. This is a road map for technological transformation. So, the customs service in
Turkmenistan, likewise with other sectors, we are actively promoting digital transformation. For
instance, from 2020 onwards, in the Turkmenistan Customs Service, in line with the international
standard and best practices, we have introduced an automated data processing system ASYCUDAWorld. With this system, the objective, is to provide advantageous conditions to the trade society topromote export and to enhance the transit potential for Turkmenistan.
And by enhancing the evaluation, we would like to support the integrated initiative with stateregional infrastructure. So, TIR Carnet has been leveraged. And in the Customs Convention on theInternational Transport of Goods Undercover, the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan’s
cooperation with the IRU has introduced the TIR-EPD system, which provides online preliminary
information on goods and vehicles that are sent to Turkmenistan and transited through the territoryof our country. So, in terms of the digitalization of customs service, we have introduced a singlewindow software at the road customs checkpoints of the state border. This has brought us a verysignificant contribution and achievement. For this single-window system development, the State
Customs Service of Turkmenistan, together with the UN Conference on Trade and Development andthe UN Development program, started the implementation of the single window for export import
operation projects in Turkmenistan in 2021.
So, the customs service of Turkmenistan has been designated as the authorized body to coordinate

41

the work of the system. Now, Turkmenistan, in 2021, became a member of three internationalcustoms conventions. So, at the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization ofCustom Procedures, which is seen as a revised Kyoto Convention, entered into force for
Turkmenistan, and also, the laws on accession to the Customs Convention on Containers and on
accession to the Convention of the Custom Regime applicable in containers transferred to the pooland used for international transportation. This is a concrete step of our country to create favorable
conditions to ensure the efficient movement of goods across national borders. So, by using this, eTIR,
connects customs conventions on the international transferable goods undercover of TIR channels,
1975 was the year that it was adopted. According to Annex 11, there are plans to connect anautomated system for processing custom data to the international system eTIR, which will allow
paperless and contactless operation to cross the customs border of Turkmenistan.
The State Customs Service has international agreements on exchange of preliminary custom data on
goods and vehicles crossing the customs border with customs administration of neighboring
countries. The exchange of preliminary custom data is very important for simplifying customs
procedures. And accelerating the transportation of goods and vehicles across the customs border, as
well as the developing transit corridors passing through our country. In order to develop transit
corridors passing through the country, the State Customs Service conducts consistent work on
further digitalization of custom procedures in order to increase the competitiveness of transit
corridors and attract additional transit cargo flows. Measures are taken to further simplify thecustoms control mechanism and speed up customs clearance. The exchange of list of goods
prohibited and restricted of movements across the customer border is carried out with the customs
administrations of foreign countries.
Also, there is also an exchange of experience in modernizing customs administration, developing
infrastructure at dry ports and transit paths for TIR. Now, this is to ensure that the route throughTurkmenistan remains attractive and convenient for cargo transportation. Now, I’d like to move onto the next topic, which relates to development of transport systems in our country and measures
aimed at forming new transport and communication networks. Today, under the leadership ofPresident Serdar Berdimuhamedow, we are successfully implementing comprehensive national
programs aimed at radical modernization of the material and technical basis of the transportindustry, expansion of existing networks, and the creation of new transport and communication
networks. All these measures are designed to promote the active integration of the national transportsystem into the international communication infrastructure, creation of large logistics centers, andgiven its favorable geographical location, to ensure regional coordination of multi-modal transport. All
this meets the fundamental interests of all countries and peoples and serves the goals of common
well-being, prosperity and progress.

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The Government of Turkmenistan has made important progress, particularly in developing transit
transport infrastructure such as road, rail and airport infrastructure, and promoting faster transit,
including advances in sustainable energy, investment promotion and diversification. Turkmenistan
has also initiated key resolutions on sustainable transport, the role of transport and transit corridors,
ensuring international cooperation for sustainable development, the resolution 69/213 of December
19th, 2014, also, Resolution 70/197 of December 22nd 2015 toward full cooperation among all modes oftransport for the development of sustainable multi-modal transit corridors, and also, resolution 72/212
of December 20th 2017 strengthening linkages among all modes of transport to achieve thesustainable development goals.
Turkmenistan also initiated Resolution 75/3/13, strengthening linkages among all modes of transport
to ensure stable and reliable international transport for sustainable development during and after the
pandemic of COVID-19, which was adopted in July 2021 and aims to intensify efforts to improve thesustainability of emergency transportation, including mobilizing sufficient financial resources toincrease the resilience of transportation system to effectively respond to COVID-19. Also, for the
initiatives of Turkmenistan, as of August of 2022, is the International Conference of Ministers ofTransport of Landlocked Developing Countries, under the auspices of the United Nations, withdelegations from 40 countries. The objective of this forum was to share knowledge, experience andinnovative solutions for financing infrastructure in the post-pandemic period, ensuring sustainability
and stability, identifying recommendations and opportunities for improving the maintenance oftransport infrastructure in landlocked countries, expanding international support for transport andstrengthening cooperation in this area.
During this forum, our president, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, made a comment and I would like toquote him. Turkmenistan is convinced the transport architecture of the 21st century is thearchitecture of an integration breakthrough, connecting spaces, regions, industrial resources, andhuman potential. The future is in a combined system of transport communication with access tomajor international and regional sea, river, road, rail and air hubs, their optimal combination and useof advantages of each of them. As you know, our country initiated the first global conference onsustainable transport, held in Ashgabat in November 2016. Turkmenistan also initiated the key UN
General Assembly resolution on sustainable transport and the development of international
cooperation and transport adopted in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2021. I would like to emphasize that
Turkmenistan is positively addressing issues related to the expansion of international cooperationand the formation of modern transport and logistic infrastructure. An example of such undertaking
is a new international seaport in the city of Türkmenbaşy, which was commissioned in May 2018. It
serves as a major international corridor in the region. Thanks to the high level of equipment of thisfacility, we have excellent conditions for multi-modal logistics deliveries of goods from Europe to theMiddle East and the Indian Ocean countries. The port is located on an area of more than 146 hectors.

43

Its throughput capacity is 17 million tons of cargo a year. These are some of the features of the newinternational seaport. Thank you very much for your attention.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. Now moving on Mr. Yamazaki, Director, Enterprise Business
Department, Business and Marketing Division, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) West
Corporation.
Mr. Yamazaki Kastunori, Director, Enterprise Business Department, Business and Marketing
Division, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) West Corporation: Thank you very much forgiving me the opportunity to speak at the 12th Tokyo Dialogue. And I would like to talk about you.
container terminal demonstration test. So, as you see in the title, this demonstration test is aconsignment from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication. This is port operation basedon the local 5G. So, you have an English version. So, there is no mentioning about this, but the there
are three features of the local 5G. One is that the large volume of video and static images can betransmitted at high speed. The second is that the delay is minimal. And the third is that you cantransport the data to various devices at the same time. So, simultaneous access and connection ispossible. So, the field of the demonstration is Osaka Dream Island Container Terminal. In the Bay
Area of Osaka City, there is a place called Yume Shima, a 390-hectare artificial island. And the 2025
Expo will be held on this island. And it is drawing much attention from the stakeholders.
Next, I’d like to talk about the overall alliance. Including NTT West, we have seven different
members sharing the responsibilities. So, this is the outline of the demonstration. What is the
background of this demonstration test? And there are some challenges. As for the background, theglobalization of supply chains led to the importance of the port’s operation. Along with that, at Yume
Shima island, the large-scale containers started coming in for port visits. And cargo handling takes
more time. And also, around the gate of the container terminals, the large trucks had suffered fromcongestion. And also, the people who are working in the port. The average age is becoming higher,
and we don’t see much of the younger generation working for the port operation. So, in thisdemonstration test, with the use of the local 5G, we try to solve the problems. I’d like to talk about iton the next page.
At the end of the slide, we have the demonstration test. And as for the Yume Shima container
terminals, we have a lot of blockages. And also, the sea surface also creates a negative impact oncommunication. So, there are three main points. Number one is the quality improvement of thebusiness networking container terminals. So, the wireless device and Wi-Fi device communication
has to be replaced by local 5G, so that the network operation is going to be simplified and more
efficient. And the local 5G can send the massive amount of data whereby terminals can take picturesand high-volume data can be transferred. And with the use of the data that the port operation can

44

receive the digital transformation. Number two is the real time transmission of the container
planning data to streamline storage process operations. So, it has been done based on the paper. The
instructions have to be sent by local 5G, so if there are any changes, then the user can receive thechanges real time.
And it’s done simultaneously, so you can reduce the number of papers used, and also, improve thesafety of the operators. And also, the process of the operation can be streamlined. The last one is thetrailer waiting area, alleviation of the congestion by visualizing it. So, for the trailers going into thecontainer terminals, the number plates are taken as a photo. And local 5G can send the number plateinformation to the confirmation system. And with this, the AI can forecast the congestion situation.
And the waiting time can be shortened. And also, the portal site can show the waiting time to thetruck driver, so that it solicits the truck drivers to change their behaviors. And with this, the local
5G technology can be utilized to enhance the operation of the ports and the container yard. And we’
re doing it until the end of March, and will report to you, the result of this.
For the future, through the demonstration, we gain the knowledge of digital transformation of theport operation, improvement of the productivity, and also, the smart port operation. We are planningto accelerate the work towards that goal. So, that’s it from us. Thank you very much for yourattention.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. I would like to hear from the World Customs Organization, Mr.
Yasui Tadashi, Head of External Relations from WCO and Mr. Fujimitsu Motohiro, Manager, WCO/JICA Joint Project, Capacity Building Directorate.
Mr. Yasui Tadashi, Head, External Relations, World Customs Organization: Thank you very much.
So, my name is Yasui. I am from WCO, World Customs Organization. It is indeed an honor to be able
to share the activities of WCO. Thank you very much for the opportunity. So, from my end, I’d liketo introduce the overview of WCO, and also, share with you the concrete activities that we are doingin Central Asia and how it could be applied to the five countries in Central Asia and Caucasus.
So, first of all, the WCO, World Customs Organization, is an international organization, the only one
specifically on customs, was established in 1952. Last year, we marked the 70th anniversary. This
year is the 71st anniversary. The headquarters is in Brussels in Belgium. We have 185 members.
Almost all the countries in the world are members, so it’s pretty much equivalent to the members of
the United Nations. So, the five countries and the Caucasus region, all of you are members of WCO.
So, from that point it is indeed a very global organization. The Secretary General of WCO has
introduced already, is a Japanese national, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya. So, he, as a Japanese national, heads
the organization. The three core functions for WCO are, first the development of global standards.

45

So, for instance under the Kyoto Protocol, the HS goods classification, these are some of the global
standards, and also, simplification of customs clearance, or standardized customs procedures. So,
there was an example of the containers. So, indeed, we are involved in the development of suchglobal standards.
Second is to promote the customs cooperation. So, that is cooperation, the inter-regional basis, andalso, on the global basis. We like to promote various forms of corporation. That’s the second objective.
And the third function, every year, this has been gaining in its importance, that is capacity building
activities. So, that is technical assistance to the developing countries. And it will be conducted on an
integrated basis. So, vis-á-vis this one single, global standard, all the countries will be engaged in thisaddressing this in the same way. And by doing so, we can enhance the predictability and thetransparency. So indeed, the importance of capacity building is certainly getting traction.
So, I’d like to specifically focus on the transit. So, we’ve heard about this customs transit a lot, so we’
d like to share what exactly this custom transit is. So, hearing about the Central Asia and theCaucasus, this is the map of the region. So, the transportation along the corridor is mainly a series ofcustom transit by rail. So, for instance, from East Asia, once it goes through Kazakhstan all the way
to Europe, you will not have to go through customs clearance in Kazakhstan. So, that is why it iscalled customs transit. So, once in Kazakhstan, the cargo enters. And for the bonded transport, whencargo from East Asia is transported from Kazakhstan, there’s no need to pay customs. And what thecontent of the items is would need to be identified. And once the cargo leaves Kazakhstan, we would
need to approve whether the cargo entering the territory for bonded carriage is the same as it exits.
So, that is the definition for the customs transit.
This is the development of the rail custom transit procedure. So, on the top is the typical example.
So, from Country A, we would need the rail transit procedures. So, we will this will be submitted in
paper format. So, after going through inspection and confirmation, and it is approved, then therailway will start. Now, at the border of Country B, at the station, there’s also custom officials to
make sure that there has been no change in the cargo content. So, of course, it is in a paper format
in terms of the declaration. So, that would be used for confirmation. So, now, the train leaves forCountry B. So, at the station, there’s also the customs official. And also, there would be anotheroperator to submit the declaration form to the customs. And that would go all the way to Country C.
So, this is the traditional transit procedure. Now, moving on to the second row of this slide. This iswhen the transit declaration is digitalized what will become of it. And also, at the same time, thecustom system would be inter-operable. Basically, the interoperability is ensured. At the time ofdeparture from Country A, on electronic basis, an E transit declaration would be submitted. And
that information would be shared with the customs officials to the officials at Border B, prior to thearrival of the trains. So, prior to the arrival of the trains, the Customs official can engage in the46

inspection. So, we could do risk management, and if there are nothing suspicious, then the train could
actually pass through. And this would definitely expedite the whole procedure. So, today, there’s
been, a number of times mentioned, about the electronic, digitalized transit declaration. I believe thathas been realized in a number of countries already. So, in the very bottom of the flow here is thefurther facilitation of this. It’s called one-stop service. On the bottom left, so, at Country B, we can tell
we have two officials wearing the uniforms. So, Country A and Country B, at the same time, at thesame venue jointly, they can engage in the inspection to extend the one-stop service. So, the rollingstock would not need to stop when they leave Country A. So, this would further facilitate theprocess. These are more details, but because of the time constraint I am going to skip this.
First of all, I would like to explain about how or what we are doing to work on this acceleration of
the railroad. And we held the WCO Global Rail Workshop in 2020, so I would like to give you theresult of that. There are two camps. One is OSJD, mainly eastern Europe. And OTIF is mainly
western Europe. So, in the case of OSJD, they are using SMGS. And OTIF use CIM for railroad
cargo. The purple area is SMGS. And the green is the CIM area. The yellow area can accept both ofthem. So, WCO is working on the OTIF and OSJD. We have cooperative MOU. Turkmenistan
mentioned about the revised Kyoto convention. And this is the WCO Revised Kyoto Protocol andTransportation Declaration. As long as it fills the requirement of the customs, it can be treated as abonded transport declaration. So, that they don’t have to submit another declaration. And for the
Middle Corridor Caspian Sea route, they receive CIM or SMGS.
This is about the transportation certificate CIT; the International Rail Transport Committee is thecommittee overseeing the railroad transportation. And they have an integrated format for the CIM
and SMGS. And the electronic version is called the eCIM/SMGS, which was already created in 2019,
but as of summer, last year, there was no pilot test conducted. The people who have been using the
CIM use XML. And OSJD, the SMGS people use EDIFACT. So, they need to have a converter toexchange information. eCIM/SMGS, how long does it take? According to the CIT presentation, it
takes 40 minutes per wagon. So, 8 to 10 hours per train. So, at WCO, based on these studies lastsummer, we produced the WCO railway guidance, the Electronic Custom Transit Declaration, andalso, the training for the customs officers who are specified in these guidelines. Other than WCO,
there are some developments. So, OTIF, OSJD, CIT, and also TRACECA have been repeatedly
mentioned by the participants. Awaza Summary Statement of Ministry of Transport Conference forLandlocked Developing Countries, UNOHRLLS. This is the office of the High Representative of the
Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States,and every year, they hold the ministerial meetings, and the ICT connectivity is crucial for thetransport and the transit system of the LLDCs.
And next at the Turkic Council, the Samarkand declaration, which was produced in November 2022,47

they said prioritizing increasing investment for ensuring intra-regional connectivity with welldeveloped and interconnected hard and soft transport infrastructure projects. And the Azerbaijan
representative mentioned about this. At Baku, the Customs Heads Meeting on Project for simplifying
transit customs procedure along the Trans-Caspian International “East-West” Middle Corridor using“Single Window” principle is being held. And the head of the Regional custom offices are there. And
our head, Mikuriya is also present, so I think it is very timely. This is WCO capacity building andtechnical assistance operations, WCO/JICA Joint Project. I am a manager of the WCO. We are
implementing this project in Africa, and also, the Pacific Islands. Sasaki-san of MOFA has alsomentioned about the master trainer program, and also, risk management analysis, and transit
information should be well studied by the officers. And that type of trainings are provided. And onestop border posts are being done with JICA.
And Sida, the Swedish entity, also invested into this trade facilitation and custom modernization
program. And this is for Africa, the interoperability of customs ID systems, single windows, are also
worked in this program. So, WCO is involved in the many different programs. Lastly, this is themission of the WCO: Borders divide, Customs connects. That’s it. Thank you so much.
Mr. Ichiba: Next, we’d like to hear about the benefits of digitalization from Japanese companies. So, I’
d like to call upon Mr. Yamaguchi Osamu, Senior Consultant, NX Logistics Research Institute andConsulting.
Mr. Yamaguchi Osamu, Senior Consultant, Research & Consulting Unit 3, NX Logistics ResearchInstitute and Consulting, Inc: Thank you very much for the introduction. My name is Yamaguchi. I
am from NX Logistics Research. I do not have any slides, so I’d like to verbally present to you. So,
NX Research Institute. So, a Nippon Express subsidiary. It was a research institute as part of Nippon
Express. Normally, as part of NX group and the middle corridor, which has been repeatedly
mentioned today – so, these sorts of new routes – we are engaging in research of these new routes.
That is the nature of our business. But I know we’re running out of time, so for just a couple ofminutes I’d like to comment on our activities. So, first of all, from Japan to Europe, by using the
Middle Corridor to transport the containers, if you were to consider that we, as the forwarder, as therepresentative from Nissin mentioned the fact that we have to do multiple border crossings, under abonded status.
So, they will be transited on a bonded basis. So, it would go through the Caspian Sea. There would
be a marine transportation, and may, actually, goes through rail, for instance, so the gauge of the
train may be different from Georgia and Türkiye. The gauge may be different also from China andKazakhstan. Because of the rail gauge, a transshipment needs to be conducted. So, the cargo needs
to be changed. In terms of transshipment, what sort of quality – what sort of infrastructure is48

available? Those are some of the major concerns for the shipping companies. Also, in terms of theprocedures, as mentioned already, SMGS and CIM, these are the two different types of forms thathave been used for customs transit. So, how smoothly we’ll be able to clear this – that is the point weneed to consider. For instance, with user digitalization, how much time can we shorten? These aredefinitely one of the major concerns that we have as the operator.
Especially for international rail, if we were to smoothly operate this to conduct trade, digitalization
only may not suffice. In fact, we need to have international collaboration in terms of the informationthat may be necessary. As mentioned already, at Country A, which is the departure country, at whattime is the rail departing? And at what time would it actually arrive at the station at the border?
This sort of information needs to be shared, and also, some of the information related to the cargo.
So, by having this information at this specific station at the border, they can actually prepare for the
next procedure. And by conducting this preparation, it would enable smooth transshipment as wellas the various procedures that follow. So, these sort of linkages in terms of information are just as
important as digitalization. Also, another point, we do perceive this as an issue. So, CIM and SMGS,
these are a different mechanism for the customs transit. So, in terms of the scope of the guarantee,
and also, some of the terms and contracts of the contract are different. So, how would we follow
these and monitor these? That is another important factor as an operator who’s engaged in the dayto-day business. Also, in terms of language, CIM is in French, German, and English, in terms of the
documentation. Whereas SMGS is in Russian and Chinese. That is the standard language employed.
So, in terms of the actual interaction, of course, the actual methodologies differ, but also the differencein the language is another factor that we need to consider. So, it is fairly challenging to standardize,that is what we have heard. So, TSR, going through Siberia, at the border, I believe that it has notbeen fully penetrated in the day-to-day business. And I know that as well. But by no means am I
becoming pessimistic. In fact, we are seeing gradual penetration. So, in Central Asia, in terms of thetransit route, gradually, we shall see advancement of this. And there will be information linkage
amongst multiple countries. By doing so, I do believe the route would be much easier to use.
So, as far as the Japanese operators are concerned, as we heard from Nissin already, definitely, it isgaining much attention. So, I know you may criticize me, we don’t have much time, but I’d still liketo share this little anecdote. So, when I was coming to this venue, I saw this commercial on thepaperless operation of these documentation. So, by conducting digitalization, we can also address thislanguage issue because there is an automatic translation. And the Japanese companies, quite often,
they’re familiar with procedures in English. But when it becomes Russian, French or German, all of asudden, they start to make mistakes. And, of course, that would actually be much more time
consuming in terms of the customs clearance. So, from that perspective, digitalization may also be avery effective tool to address this language issue. And we do believe Japan has the technology to49

contribute. So, we heard from NTT West as well. But aside from them, we do have a quite a wide
range of technology that we can offer from Japan. So, I would like to solicit all of you that we would
like to be of help to your region. So, I ask for your cooperation. I sort of went all directions, but thatis all from my end. Thank you very much.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. Let’s move on to the Q&A session. I hope that you will give a
succinct answer. First of all, Mr. Aliyev, from Azerbaijan, in your presentation you mentioned thatthe framework for multilateral cooperation through digitalization is being developed. So, for the
implementation of this, what is the biggest challenge for you?
Mr. Aliyev: Thank you, Mr. Ichiba, for the question. This as an important question that’s also makes
us think for quite a long time, because each country and each stakeholder in this process which
participates in the Middle Corridor, they have different priorities and different expectations. That is
the first challenge for us. Second, as Mr. Fujimitsu also mentioned in his presentation, there aredifferent standards and documentation. If we are talking about the railway, for example, somecountries are going CIM, and some countries are doing SMGS. So, it’s really hard to bring all of themto this unified and single platform where both of them are interchangeable and acceptable. So,
although, we are evaluating the different options which are operating on the different platforms,
these are two major questions we are trying to discuss with our partners at the multilateral level tosee what could be a common ground to find a solution for these processes and use a single platform
to bring all the documents, all the processes, and work together with our partners and stakeholders.
Thank you.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much for that. Now, I’d like to ask Mr. KAKAMURADOW from
Turkmenistan, within your presentation you mentioned about the holistic integrated program for themodernization of the system. So, Turkmenistan, in order to smoothly the link the Caspian Sea
transport and the rail transport, what are some of the measures that you are taking?
Mr. Kakamuradow: Thank you very much for the question. So, in Turkmenistan, it is theinternational port, so ferries, cargo, and also, we have for the travellers and the people. And also, 17
vessels could be processed. So, in terms of the rail terminal, it is located on the southeast of theterminal. And the necessary advanced technology, it’s all facilitated within this terminal. At thisterminal, there are two ocean cargo vessels could be processed. So, for instance, the transshipment of
the cargo or platform that could be conducted. So, volume that could be transacted, it’s quite large.
So, the automobile the cars are used. And it is working 24 hours a day.
Mr. Ichiba: Thank you very much. This concludes Panel Discussion 2: Digitalization in trade andcustoms. Thank you very much for the participants.

50

Closing
Mr. Ichiba: Well, thank you very much once again for your participation. And I think we had a very
meaningful exchange of opinions. So, I hope that today’s discussion is going to be contributing to theconnectivity with Central Asia and also Caucasus with Japan. The people who are here, we will behaving a reception party in a while, so please stay a little bit more and enjoy networking with otherparticipants. And thank you very much for your work translators. This adjourns the 12th Tokyo
Dialogue of “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue on “Connectivity with Central Asia and theCaucasus”. Thank you very much.

51

III

Presentation Slides

1ⅢMr. Khusrav MIRZOEV, First Secretary, External Economic Cooperation Department, Ministry ofForeign Aﬀairs, Tajikistan

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Mr. Abdulla

KHASHIMOV, Director of Development of Transport Corridors and Logistics

Department, Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade, Uzbekistan

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Dr. Irakli DANELIA, Business Development Head for Black Sea and Central Asia Regions of Maersk
Tbilisi, Georgia

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Mr.Rati DEVADZE, Deputy Head of Transport and Logistics Development Policy Department,
Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia

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Mr. KOIZUMI Yukihiro, Deputy Director General, Infrastructure Management Department, Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

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Ms. SASAKI Asuka, Senior Deputy Director, International Cooperation Division, Custom & Tariﬀ
Bureau, Ministry of Finance, Japan

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Mr. OZEKI Makoto, Deputy General Manager, NVOCC Department, Nissin Corporation (Deputy
Secretary General of Coordination Council on Trans Eurasian Transportation)

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Mr. Fariz ALIYEV, Head of Transport Policy Department, Ministry of Digital Development andTransport, Azerbaijan

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Mr. KAKAMURADOW, Yklym Mukymowic, Head of Department of Customs Statistics, State
Customs Service, Turkmenistan

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Mr. YAMAZAKI Kastunori, Director, Enterprise Business Department, Business and Marketing
Division, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) West Corporation

123Mr. YASUI Tadashi, Head, External Relations, World Customs Organization (WCO)
Mr. FUJIMITSU Motohiro, Manager, WCO/JICA Joint Project, Capacity Building Directorate

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