Turkmenistan has expressed great interest in the Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan-China railway project, which will give a powerful impetus to the development of transport links in Central Asia, the National Agency for Transport and Communications under the Cabinet of Ministers reports.
Batyr Annayev, deputy director general of the agency, attended a meeting of transport ministers from Central Asia and China, which is taking place in Beijing from 25-26 September.
"Such projects will contribute to turning the region into a key transit hub, developing trade and cargo transit between China, Europe and the Gulf countries through Central Asia," the Turkmen representative said.
Turkmenistan is ready to actively contribute to the implementation of such large-scale initiatives of Beijing as "One Belt, One Road". Annaev noted the importance of the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway for its connection to other regional and international transport corridors.
"The Turkmen side also appreciates Tajikistan's efforts to create modern transit infrastructure to connect transport hubs with China and make the country one of the key transport corridors in global supply chains."
Ashgabat, for its part, is actively involved in the construction of railways in Afghanistan, helping to revitalise the economy of that country and the region as a whole. "They will also establish new transport routes linking Central Asia with Afghanistan and further Pakistan," Annayev added.
Experts told Daryo that Turkmenistan is promoting a transnational railway project along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan route. Ashgabat has already extended its railway lines to the Afghan borders and has begun laying tracks to the cities of Aqina and Herat, Afghanistan.
Credits: Eziz Boyarov
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