During the Turkmen-Afghan negotiations held in Ashgabat on February 26, the parties, led by the heads of the foreign ministries of the two countries, discussed the development of the Lapis Lazuli Corridor in the context of transport issues.

In particular, they discussed agreeing on a meeting of representatives of the five project countries, which will be held in Ashgabat in the near future. This is stated in a message on the website of the Afghan Foreign Ministry.

The Lapis-Lazuli Corridor is a transit project between Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. The corridor agreement was signed in October 2017 within the framework of the 7th Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan, held in Ashgabat. This agreement provides for the connection of railways, roads, and sea routes to form a trade corridor.

The Lapis Lazuli Corridor runs from the Afghan province of Herat to Ashgabat, then from the seaport of Turkmenbashi to the port of Baku along the Caspian Sea. Then through Tbilisi to Ankara with branches to Poti and Batumi and from Ankara to Istanbul. For Afghanistan, the implementation of such a trade and transport project is the shortest, cheapest and most reliable trade route with Europe.

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