Governance of Transport Corridors in OIC Member States:

Challenges, Cases and Policy Lessons

Northern Corridor Routes

Existing international cooperation initiatives

C2: Bukhara – Mary – Ashgabat – Turkemenbashi

– Baku – Ganja – Tbilisi – Batumi – Samsun –

Gerede – Istanbul – Kapikule;

CAREC, EATL, ECO, OSJD, TRACECA, Trans-

Caspian Corridor

C2A: Mary – Sarakhs – Mashhad – Sabzevar –

Kerman – Anar – Bandar Abbas;

CAREC, EATL, ECO, INSTC

C1D/C2B: Tbilisi – Akhalkalaki – Kars – Erzurum.

EATL, ECO, TRACECA, Trans-Caspian Corridor

C3: Karachi – Rohri – Quetta – Taftan – Kerman –

Yazd – Qom – Tehran – Qazvin – Tabriz – Askale –

Ankara – Istanbul – Europe.

CAREC, CPEC, EATL, ECO, INSTC, OSJD, OTIF

Source: Comprehensive planning of Eurasian Transport corridors (2017, p. 27).

Corridor Founders and MoU

The Central Corridor is initiated by UNESCAP and crosses through Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China,

Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and

Uzbekistan. Currently no MoU is signed by the participating parties. A draft MoU is included in the

Eurasian Transport corridors study report (2017).

7.1.3

Legal framework

Legal basis

A draft MoU is published in the Comprehensive planning of Eurasian Transport corridors study report

(2017), covering themes such as harmonisation of regulations, studies and information exchange, and

the participation of economic and social actors. Key in the draft MoU is the commitment of the

members to establish governance institutions such as ministerial meetings, steering committee,

corridor transport observatory and a permanent secretariat. Agreeing upon a MoU may be a difficult

process as many intergovernmental organisations exist in the region, such as the Eurasian Economic

Union

or the Commonwealth of Independent States

, with the latter covering over half of length of

the corridor.

Harmonization of national regulations, standards and procedures

Harmonisation of infrastructure systems and standards and regulations along the corridor and at

border crossings are aimed for where possible, preferably in line with international standards.

Participants are willing to carry through institutional reform when required. The main challenges for

the region as identified by UNESCAP are:



Infrastructure gaps:

Regional road and railway networks need to be built or upgraded;

Mismatched intercountry connections also prevent effective physical connectivity along land-

based corridors;

Seamless intermodal connections between air, road, railway and maritime transport are also

needed;

Inadequate interfaces between different transport modes;

Strengthening Asia-Europe connectivity also demands considerable investments in transport

assets;

Countries have to further coordinate the planning and delivery of their infrastructure projects.



Rules and regulations:

Between Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.

Between Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tadzhikistan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Uzbekistan.