Russia Has Stated the Need for a Rail Link to the Indian Ocean via Turkmenistan
Russia needs to develop rail links to the Indian Ocean via Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan amid growing geopolitical risks and instability of traditional sea routes. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin stated this in an interview with TASS.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, logistical risks in the Bosphorus and Hormuz Straits are driving the search for alternative land routes to South Asia. Developing rail links through Turkmenistan and neighboring countries is seen as one of the most promising options for channeling trade flows to Indian Ocean ports and providing direct access to the Indian market.
The urgency of strengthening land transport arteries in Central Asia has increased amid the deteriorating situation in the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately a quarter of global oil trade and a fifth of liquefied natural gas traditionally passes. Under these conditions, Turkmenistan, with its developed railway infrastructure and strategic geographic location, is becoming a key crossroads of the North-South transport corridor and a reliable link in continental logistics.
