Officials from Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan have initiated discussions to establish a new multimodal cargo transportation route across the Caspian Sea, aiming to boost trade between Central Asia and European markets.
The virtual meeting, held on November 13, brought together Mammetkhan Chakyyev, head of Turkmenistan’s Transport and Communications Agency, and Bakyt Torobayev, Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry. They explored opportunities for cooperation in areas such as energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and trade.
Both officials emphasized the importance of developing trade relations and increasing the flow of goods via the Caspian Sea, which would create more efficient logistics networks within the region and beyond.
“This opens up great opportunities for creating convenient logistics both within the region and beyond,” they said.
A key topic of the discussions was the potential to organize goods transportation along the Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Russia route or through Azerbaijan’s Port of Alat, connecting Central Asia to Europe. These routes, the officials noted, could strengthen economic cooperation between the two nations while expanding regional and international trade capabilities.
To encourage the use of the Turkmenbashi International Seaport, the two sides also considered reducing tariffs for transport and port services, making it more attractive for Kyrgyz carriers to use the port for trans-Caspian cargo shipments.
This initiative is expected to enhance the appeal of the proposed routes, connecting Kyrgyzstan with Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Russia, or providing an alternative pathway through Azerbaijan to Europe, as reported by Business Turkmenistan.
In late October, Igor Golubev, Deputy Chairman of the Association of International Cargo Carriers of the Kyrgyz Republic, revealed efforts to establish a new transport corridor through the Caspian Sea. The proposed route would connect Turkmenbashi and Astrakhan, facilitated by ferries. Golubev explained that Kyrgyzstan is looking for ferry manufacturers in the Mediterranean and Black Seas to relocate them to the Caspian. Dredging operations are also underway in Astrakhan to address declining water levels in the Caspian Sea.
In a related development, Akylbek Zhaparov, head of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers, discussed the proposed transport corridor with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk in October. The new route would connect two major international transport corridors: North-South and West-East, allowing goods to move between Russia and Kyrgyzstan more efficiently through Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
While the new Caspian Sea route is expected to shorten delivery distances for regions in southern, North Caucasian, central, and northwestern Russia, Kazakhstan will continue to be a primary transit route for cargo from the Volga, Siberia, Ural, and Far East regions.
Kyrgyz Deputy Transport and Communications Minister Bekzhan Rysmendeyev reaffirmed Kyrgyzstan’s commitment to developing the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor, which bypasses Russia. Rysmendeyev emphasized Kyrgyzstan’s support for initiatives aimed at enhancing infrastructure and multimodal logistics in the region.
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