IRU praises reopening of Silk Road

02-11-2005 ::  Press release number: 807, November 2nd, 2005

Geneva - The International Road Transport Union (IRU) Presidential Executive today praised the first ever commercial truck caravan from Beijing to Brussels which, after years of effort by the IRU and its Member Associations to revitalise the Silk Road, effectively reopened this ancient trade route for business.

IRU President Paul Laeremans said that "the caravan will create a new era in trade and stability between all the countries with emerging market friendly economies along the 12,000 kilometres of the reopened Silk Road". He went on to call the Member Associations involved in this pioneering initiative visionaries, which was supported by a resounding standing ovation for the CRTA (China), KAZATO (Kazakhstan), ASMAP (Russia), LATVIJAS AUTO (Latvia), LINAVA (Lithuania) and ZMPD (Poland).

Special recognition was also given to Martin Marmy, who in his inaugural speech as IRU Secretary General in 1993 said that his dream was to see the Silk Road reopened to allow road transport to drive progress on the Eurasian land mass. Mr Laeremans said: "Today, that dream has finally been realised, but this is only a beginning. Much work remains to be done to ensure that all governments who want to bring greater prosperity to their citizens facilitate road transport."

Mr Laeremans concluded that those governments which help rather than hinder the development of road transport will enjoy economic and social progress, citing as exemplary the government of China's policy to build 40,000 more kilometres of motorways, for a total of 85,000 by 2020, and its policy to stabilise diesel prices as well as charging the least amount of tax on the heaviest commercial vehicles.

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