Samarkand Airport will become an aviation hub of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)

The 13th meeting of Transport Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) was held in the capital of Iran, where a number of strategic decisions aimed at developing a sustainable and integrated transport system in the region were approved. The key outcome of the meeting was the inclusion of Samarkand Airport as an official ECO aviation hub, which is emphasized in the adopted Tehran Declaration.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation unites 10 countries: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. The meeting participants discussed issues of improving multimodal transport corridors, digitalization of the sector, simplification of cross-border trade and increasing the role of the private sector in the implementation of regional projects.

Minister of Transport of Uzbekistan Ilkhom Makhkamov delivered a report in which he presented the initiatives of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev aimed at deepening ties between the ECO member countries in the field of transport and logistics. In particular, he recalled the proposal made at the 16th ECO Summit in Tashkent in November 2023 to create a Digital ECO Transport and Customs Office in the capital of Uzbekistan. The initiative involves the introduction of modern digital solutions to speed up customs procedures and interaction between national transport systems.

Uzbekistan proposed to form a specialized working group consisting of representatives of the transport and customs departments of the participating countries to develop mechanisms for digitalization of cargo documents and their mutual recognition.

The meeting ended with the signing of the Tehran Declaration, which sets out the following principles::

• priorities for harmonization of transport policy;
• infrastructure modernization measures;
• plans to deepen ECO cooperation;
• Uzbekistan's proposals, including the recognition of Samarkand Airport as a key aviation hub in the region.

It is expected that the status of the hub will strengthen the international importance of Samarkand as a logistics and tourist center, as well as open up new opportunities for regional air transportation.