UB HOSTS 43RD MINISTERIAL MEETING OF RAILWAYS COOPERATION ORGANIZATION

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The 43rd Ministerial Meeting of the Organization for Co-operation between Railways (OSJD) has concluded after it had run in Ulaanbaatar, gathering the Ministers in charge of railway matters from 20 countries. Generally, the OSJD’s activities are taken part by 28 member-countries. The OSJD is an international organization established at the Railway Ministers Conference in Sofia, Republic of Bulgaria, by the ministers, responsible for the railway transport, on June 28 of 1956. The OSJD activities are undertaken according to the OSJD Statute, which is of an international treaty nature. Main objectives of OSJD include development of international freight and passenger traffic, creation of common railway transport environment in the Eurasian region, higher competitiveness and an increase in transcontinental railway routes as well as promotion of technological progress and technical-scientific cooperation in the field of railway transport. As the chair of this year’s meeting, the Minister of Road and Transport N.Tomorkhuu expressed a gratitude to the guests from the OSJD and international delegates for organizing once again in Ulaanbaatar the ministerial meeting since 1992, when the 20th meeting was held. Recalling the establishment of the Conference of Director-Generals of Railways during the 20th meeting, he underlined that Mongolia has been actively taking part in the activities of the Organization and is expanding its cooperation with the member-states. In accordance with the OSJD Ministerial Meeting Rules and as the Minister of Road and Transport permitted, the vice Minister Kh.Yerjan chaired the meeting. It discussed 11 main issues. The OSJD Report of 2014 was reviewed, and a list of general measures for expert-training requirements was adopted. The participating ministers also focused on further actions, such as continuing the renovation and revision of the Agreement on International Goods Transport by Rail, the Agreement of International Passenger Transport and their official directions, International Relations Rules of Passenger and Carriage Transport, and an agreement between the Transporters, on audits on the Agreement on International Passenger Transport launched by the OSJD Commission on Transport Law, and on concluding the revision of this agreement within 2015. They also discussed the issues to be included in the program of the 44th Ministerial Meeting which will run in 2016.