Abstract

• Under the definition defined in Article 124 (1) of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, landlocked state is a state having no sea coast. Under this definition itself, landlocked states have relied on the transit state for the outlet of the sea which is the cheapest transportation mode, and freedom of transit is most crucial for these states than other factors. Because of shipping is still playing a central role in global trade, geographic location also remains significant. As a result of their geographical disadvantage, landlocked states face specific challenges in their attempts to integrate into the global trading system. Mainly because of goods coming from or going to a landlocked state are subject to additional trade barriers such as lengthy border-crossing procedures, weak legal and institutional arrangements, poor infrastructure, a lack of information technology, an underdeveloped logistics sector and a lack of cooperation with neighbouring transit countries, they face the disadvantages which they can’t solve themselves. These problems faced by landlocked states have over the years been addressed by the international community through, inter alia, the adoption of international legal instruments aimed at easing the economic burden suffered by them. In this study, it will be assessed the international conventions relating to land transit of landlocked states