The Great Silk Road Revitalisation
Role of Multi-modal Transportation
Batumi, 17-18 May 2007
Opening statement by Martin Marmy
Secretary General
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Dear friends,
The IRU objective, as the organisation uniting more then 170 road
transport associations from 70 countries, is to act together with its
members for prosperity and flourishing of road transport sector. As
you all know, in the course of globalisation, due to its door-to-door
services, road transport plays a more and more important role. In
fact, road transport is the unique mode capable to unite people
and to improve the distribution of wealth.
The IRU, representing road transport internationally, has to be able
to seek and to seize the best opportunities for road transport
industry. The challenge of the 21st century for our industry is the reopening of the Silk Road not only to deliver goods from the AsiaPacific Region to European countries but above all to connect this
region with the main markets of the world and to interconnect all
the businesses along the 12,000 kilometres of the ancient Silk
Road.
I am proud to say that all the IRU Members are committed to
transforming this challenge into a new success story.
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The caravans from Lisbon to Vladivostok and from Beijing to
Brussels have already proved that deliveries from China to Europe
are possible right now, without any additional investments in road
infrastructure. This is why an increasing number of operators are
ready to perform such deliveries on all the various existing
itineraries.
This is why we have discussed the revitalisation of the Great Silk
Road at the IRU East-West International Conference in Beijing and
why we will continue this discussion on facilitation of trade and
transport in Warsaw. The topic of the revitalisation of the Silk Road
in the CIS region was also dealt with successfully in the IRU
Conference last November in Moscow and now this important
question is also on the agenda of our forum here in Batumi.
The aim of such IRU Conferences, organised jointly with our
pioneer Members and in association and with the support of the
governments, is very important.
In fact, you should always
remember what Henry Ford said, and I quote:
“Coming together is a beginning,
Talking together is progress,
Working together is success!”
This confirms exactly that the aim of all these conferences,
including here in Batumi, is to change the minds of people and to
make them share the truth that road transport is not an auxiliary
mode of transport, but an important economic tool.
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Globalisation for each company or for each individual means
everywhere more competition but also more opportunity!
One of the best opportunities given by the IRU international
network to its Members is the possibility also for small
organisations to act globally.
This conference in Batumi is a vivid example of how small
Associations, by working together with the IRU, can act big, can
act globally.
I would like to thank GIRCA and its President Alexander
Chkheidze for their vision and for their continuous support of the
IRU activities and for organising and hosting this Conference.
However, it is the duty of each Association to act always under the
IRU umbrella to promote, in cooperation with their governments
and authorities, the IRU policies and decisions at national level.
The discussion of intermodal transportation and its role in
revitalisation of the Great Silk Road in the presence of decisionmakers will represent an excellent opportunity to demonstrate once
more that in addition to its vital door-to-door service as a
production tool, road transport is also an indispensable partner for
the well-functioning of all the other transport modes.
This is why any penalty on road transport is an even bigger penalty
on trade development.
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In wishing great success to this Conference, allow me to repeat the
IRU slogan, it is by working together that we will achieve better
future.
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