For the Middle Corridor to function effectively, it is not enough to develop infrastructure alone; it is important to coordinate the activities of various countries and organizations, harmonize legislation, digitalize processes and apply a unified approach to logistics. This was stated on Friday by Farrukh Irnazarov, head of the Chemonics International office in Uzbekistan and a member of the CAMCA Network.
According to him, the operation of the Middle Corridor is in some ways similar to a relay race, and proper coordination is needed among the parties involved at different stages. Irnazarov noted that the participation of several countries and organizations means that each one's activities affect the overall result.
"If we consider that six countries and various organizations are working together on this process, then even if each achieves 95 percent accuracy and adherence to deadlines in their work, the overall success rate could ultimately drop to around 70 percent. Because all parties depend on each other," he emphasized.
According to him, each country and organization can document the successful completion of its work, but due to the interdependence of processes, the overall result may be lower than expected: "Because the parties depend on each other, and various modes of transport are also involved in the process."
He stated that to coordinate these processes, it is important to harmonize legislation and build trust between the parties. "To ensure synchronization, certain legislative changes, harmonization and trust are needed, which we also discussed yesterday," he noted.
Irnazarov believes that excessive focus on infrastructure in discussions about the development of the Middle Corridor is not the right approach. "Unfortunately, we continue to talk about infrastructure. Infrastructure is seen as a kind of universal solution for the development of the Middle Corridor. Of course, infrastructure is important, but by itself it will not solve all problems," he said.
According to him, the main focus should be on "bottlenecks" in transport routes and restrictions that slow down processes. "We must always study bottlenecks and restrictions and determine which measures can produce real results. Such an approach can ensure the implementation of the project," Irnazarov emphasized.
He also drew attention to the fact that the declining water level in the Caspian Sea creates certain difficulties for the transport process. "The decline in the water level of the Caspian Sea also creates certain problems. In addition, issues of granting priority to certain types of cargo, types of vessels and vehicles belonging to a particular country further complicate the situation," he added.
According to him, one of the main steps to solve the problems is to unite the entire process around a single operator and a single cargo document. "One of the most important issues is to organize all these processes within a framework that provides for one operator and one cargo document. Thus, instead of holding separate discussions with each organization, a single party will be designated to bear responsibility for the entire process," Irnazarov said.
He also emphasized the importance of introducing financial liability to ensure timely and high-quality execution of processes. "Another issue is determining the financial consequences for failure to fulfill obligations. If you cannot ensure the required result within a certain period, there must be financial liability for this. Because this is one of the ways to ensure the functioning of processes," he noted.
Irnazarov stated that digitalization also plays an important role in improving the efficiency of the Middle Corridor. "All documents must circulate in digital format, and processes must be recognized by all parties. There is a lot of work to be done and a significant area to cover," he added.