The IRU’s New Eurasian Land Transport Initiative (NELTI) bridging Asia and Europe aims at interconnecting businesses along IRU NELTI routes, creating a land bridge on the Eurasian continent and ultimately driving prosperity and peace across the Eurasian landmass.
Political impetus to reopen the Silk Road
Joint ministerial declarations were adopted at the IRU’s Euro-Asian Road Transport Conferences in Beijing in 2005, in Warsaw in 2007, in Almaty in 2009 and in Tbilisi in 2011, as well as at the IRU 60th Anniversary Congress in Istanbul, 2008, in full support of the IRU’s project to reopen the Silk Road through the New Eurasian Land Transport Initiative.
In these declarations, Transport Ministers from some 30 Asian and European countries agreed that “the economic and trade development in Asia and Europe would be greatly enhanced
by a strengthened cooperation in facilitating road transport”, and recognised the “need to provide landlocked countries with an access to international road transport amenities to foster their economic and trade growth.”
In this context, Ministers reasserted their strong commitment to implement the United Nations multilateral trade and road transport facilitation instruments, to create favourable cross-border and transit conditions by removing non-physical barriers with a view to promoting the development of road transport between Asia and Europe.
Some Facts…
The Silk Road is not one single route but rather a network of multiple land transport axes, serving all businesses in previously landlocked countries, hence irrigating their economies
and interconnecting them to the world’s major markets.
The UNESCAP is currently developing the Asian Highway network which is not only meant to achieve better connectivity between all Asian countries and open up remote areas, but
also to improve the trade route from Asia to Europe through Russia.
The EU and China agreed to take positive steps to enhance coordination on macro-economic policies in order to overcome the financial crisis and to promote the liberalisation of trade and investment. Both sides emphasised that an open, free and fair trade and investment environment and the creation of new business opportunities are important means to tackle the current financial
