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China’s Holds Conference on Its Initiative for a ‘Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road’



The Turkish daily Hurriyet reports on a conference on China’s new initiative, “Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road,” held in Beijing on July 2-3 and sponsored by the People’s Daily with the participation of more than 50 journalists from 11 regional countries. “When we mention the Silk Road, we can’t do it without looking at history. In history, the west for China was Central Asia. And now we have all the options to open new transportation channels between the West and East, from Europe to Asia,” said Liu Yunshan, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China. “The key words of this project are Silk Road and cooperation. With this spirit, we can achieve our goals,” he added.

“This idea reflects the Chinese concepts of peaceful and inclusive development. China has made much progress in development in the last decades. But we believe in development, not only for ourselves, but also for our neighbors, region and even for the whole world,” Liu stressed, underlining “openness, innovation and reform” as its main principles.

In reply to a question on whether China intends to form a formal organization, Liu said, “We don’t want to have a new organization or an entity. But rather, we want to upgrade our existing relations with neighboring countries. We value active participation of all countries. Open and positive contribution of countries will bring development. And this is not only good for China, but to our mutual benefit. It is a win-win situation.”

Li Haifeng, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee, Chinese People’s Consultative Conference, explained, “Constructing the Economic Belt has great importance for us, because we are close and at the same complementary countries. We also share the same opportunities and challenges. China is hoping together with these countries to realize this new model of relationship. And we have open minds.”

Liu Jianchao, assistant minister of foreign affairs, said that the Silk Road Economic Belt project has been endorsed by all countries along the historic Silk Road which are eager to hold talks for more concrete transportation projects to further connect the region. The Chinese government is working on some proposals to finance projects that could be considered within the sphere of the project, he said, “The Silk Road is a practical heritage and positive power. It does not belong only to China, but to all other countries. … It can’t be realized without the joint efforts of all of the countries.”

Hurriyet writes that Turkey is evaluating the project in a positive manner, but is cautious at the same time.
‘Silk Road of the Air’ Conference in Tbilisi

The Georgian capital Tbilisi (Tiflis) will be the site of the first Silk Road conference of airlines and airports, “Silk Road Routes,” July 6-8, bringing together airline officials and experts from Asia, the CIS, Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Hosted by United Airports of Georgia, it is emphasized that conference participants represent “around two-thirds of the world’s population.” Georgia hopes to make its airports a hub for air traffic between Asia and Europe.

Over 250 delegates are expected to attend Silk Road Routes, representing over 45 airports and 35 leading airlines which connect the region, including Etihad, Air China, China Southern, Turkish Airlines, Aeroflot, AirAsia X, easyJet, Air Astana, Air Baltic, Czech Airlines, Air Arabia, Wizz Air and Atlasjet.

One of the highlights of the event will be the Silk Road Routes Strategy Summit, which will take place on Sunday, July 6 and in the morning of Monday July 7 and will open with a keynote address from Georgia’s Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Giorgi Kvirikashvili. Around 20 high-level industry leaders will speak at the conference covering some of the major topics affecting the airlines industry today, including Kate Aleksidze, CEO of United Airports of Georgia; Yevgen Treskunov, EVP Strategy and Development, Ukraine International Airlines; Iase Zautashvili, General Director, Georgian Airways; Mete Erkal, General Manager, TAV Georgia; Arman Khachaturyan, CEO, National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia, and Daniel Burkard, Director of External & International Relations and Deputy Airport Director at Domodedovo Moscow Airport. Participants will also hear a keynote presentation from Alla Peressolova, Program Manager Silk Road of the UNWTO who will be holding their Silk Road Task Force meeting alongside Silk Road Routes.

Katie Bland, Director Routes for UBM Live, a conference caterer which organized the event, said: “Like the Silk Road of old, today’s air services facilitate trade and commerce between the many peoples of this vast and diverse part of the world. It is for this reason we are bringing together the leading airports and airlines which connect the 4.5 billion people of Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East regions. Silk Road Routes aims to further improve the connections between the major cities in this important region, and the decisions taken here will help shape air transport in the region for years to come.”

As pointed out on the eve of the conference, Georgia, located at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, is a bridge connecting several important economic regions including Europe, the Newly Independent States (NIS), Turkey, the Caucasus and Central Asia region. Its geographic location makes the country a transportation hub for commerce and job creation.

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