Turkmenistan is ready to collaborate with Tajikistan on creating a transport corridor to provide Tajikistan with access to the Caspian Sea, according to Turkmenistan’s media outlets.
Nietralny Turkmenistan (Neutral Turkmenistan), the daily official Russian-language newspaper in Turkmenistan, citing Turkmenistan’s state-run news agency TDH, reported on May 10 that Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov stated this during a meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe.
Turkmen leader reportedly proposed to use opportunities of the Turkmenbashi International Seaport, Turkmenistan’s main passenger harbor and cargo port on the Caspian Sea.
In the course of negotiations, Berdimuhamedov reportedly noted that “transport sector is an unconditional priority of Turkmenistan-Tajikistan cooperation.”
TDH notes that according to him, efforts should be aimed at creating a powerful and modern infrastructure ensuring the interconnection of transport systems of Asia, Europe and Middle East.
“Turkmenistan is ready to discuss the use of capacities of the Turkmenbashi International Seaport in the interests of Tajikistan on favorable terms,” Berdimuhamedov was cited as saying.
Turkmen leader reportedly also proposed to discuss the possibility of resumption of direct and transit air traffic between Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.
Berdimuhamedov noted that Ashgabat is ready for joint work on creation of the transport corridor to provide Tajikistan with access to the Caspian Sea.
According to him, the landlocked countries of Central Asia need to maximize the opportunities of the port infrastructure of the Eastern Caspian in order to enter the global markets.
For his part, Tajik leader reportedly noted that the countries plan to increase volumes of cargo transportation by road and rail through the territories of the two countries.
Recall, a program of joint activities (“roadmap”) on the expansion of further cooperation in the field of increasing cargo flow and activation of multimodal transportation between the Ministry of Transport of Tajikistan and the Transport and Communication Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan for 2023-2025 and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the Ministry of Transport of Tajikistan and the "Turkmenavtoulaglary" Agency of the Transport and Communication Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan on the development of international transport were signed in the presence of Rahmon and Berdimuhamedov in Dushanbe on May 10.
It is to be noted that in July last year, representatives of state-run transport bodies of Turkmenistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkiye held a working meeting in Ashgabat to discuss the creation of transport corridors within the framework of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). This was the first meeting of the working group aimed at creating international transport corridors in Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran and Tajikistan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Turkiye direction.
The initiative was put forward by the Turkmen side to strengthen economic ties in the ECO region, as well as the development of all modes of transport in international combined freight traffic.
