BISHKEK, March 25 -- The Kyrgyz government has ratified an agreement between the governments of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states on the facilitation of international road transport among the SCO members, the press service of Kyrgyz government said Wednesday.

According to the press service, the Agreement on Facilitation of International Road Transport will create favorable conditions for the domestic motor carriers in the implementation of the transportation of goods from Kazakhstan and Russia to St. Petersburg, Russia, with access to the Baltic ports.

At the same time the agreement also allows Kyrgyzstan to have direct access to the territory of China, especially in the nearby economic centers such as the cities of Kashgar and Urumqi and further to the port of Lianyungang on the Yellow Sea coast.

Later, the agreement will be submitted to the Kyrgyz Parliament.

Signed last September during the 14th summit of the heads of state of Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, the objectives of the agreement are to improve communication and condition of the transportation between the SCO member states, to eliminate the existing road barriers in international road transport and to create favorable conditions for international road transport in the SCO region.