Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan also join the North-South corridor
According to IRNA’s Sunday report, citing Central Asian media, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan are planning to join the North-South International Transport Corridor, and in this way, by including these two countries, additional routes will be created along this corridor.
In line with this decision, a Turkmen delegation on behalf of the waterways organization visited the Astrakhan region and its ports in Russia.
Turkmenistan will continue to cooperate with Russia in areas such as rail, road, air and sea transportation, and these countries have great potential for cooperation in the field of the North-South corridor. The agreement to establish the North-South International Transport Corridor was signed in 1998 by Russia, Iran and India and entered into force in 2000.
Later, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Tajikistan and Turkey joined it. It is expected that after the complete completion of the project, the infrastructure of the “North-South” corridor will be able to move 15 million tons of cargo per year. It is expected that this crossing will reduce the transit time between Mumbai and Moscow by half based on the route through the Republic of Azerbaijan.
With Turkmenbashi port located in this corridor, the transit capabilities of the Caspian Sea will increase. The role of Turkmenistan in this passage is to make its port a center with routes leading east to Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. Also, routes were studied to connect with China through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
The goods that are exported from Turkmenbashi port can go through Astrakhan, Caucasus, Turkey and the European Union, through Baku Azerbaijan port to Russian markets, or through Anzali port to the south to markets all over Iran and then leave Iranian ports. do Chabahar in the Persian Gulf reaches the seaports of the Middle East, East Africa, India and South Asia with the railway of this corridor.
In addition, Turkmenistan is looking for new routes to the UAE. At the month-long transportation conference in Awazah, prospects for closer cooperation between Turkmenbashi port and the ports of Dubai and Abu Dhabi were discussed.
The issue of Turkmenistan’s access to the ports of southern Iran, such as Chabahar and Bandar Abbas, was also discussed, which opens Ashgabat’s access to international waters.
The International Road Transport Union said that Turkmenistan plays an important role in the successful development of international transport corridors. It is stated in this statement: “The support of the government of Turkmenistan will be necessary for the successful development of international transport corridors, especially Lazurd.”
The Lazord Corridor is designed to strengthen regional economic cooperation and relations between Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, as well as to expand commercial and cultural interactions between Europe and Asia. This plan is planned with the aim of improving transportation infrastructure and procedures (including road, rail, and sea), increasing exports, and expanding economic opportunities for countries that use this new transportation corridor.