Kyrgyzstan and Iraq are drawing up an agreement on international road transport

Kyrgyzstan and Iraq plan to expand their cooperation in the field of international freight transport. The countries are drawing up an agreement on road transport and are discussing new routes through Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran.

This emerged following a meeting on 17 September between Kubanychbek Turganbaev, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications of Kyrgyzstan, and Jaber Al-Temimi, Iraq’s Chargé d’Affaires ad interim in Kazakhstan.

There is currently no bilateral agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Iraq governing international road transport. The Kyrgyz side has already submitted a draft document to the Iraqi side for consideration.

Separately, the parties discussed visa difficulties faced by Kyrgyz transport operators. At present, Kyrgyz citizens apply for Iraqi visas in Astana, and these are issued as single-entry visas.

The Kyrgyz side proposed exploring the possibility of issuing multiple-entry driver’s visas, valid for one year, to international freight carriers.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to step up cooperation and develop practical measures to expand freight transport between the two countries.