Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan: common approaches in Eurasian transport efforts
Kazakhstan will support all transportation projects in the region and on the Eurasian space, announced Kazakhstani Ambassador to Armenia Timur Urazayev at the briefing in Yerevan devoted to the UN Resolution “Strengthening linkages between all modes of transport to achieve the objectives of sustainable development”, adopted on the initiative of Turkmenistan, reports ArmInfo.
The envoy shared his opinion on common approaches of the transport strategies, pursued by Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Both countries put at the forefront the full-scale development of the connections in the directions North-South and West-East.
In this context, the importance of the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway connection, which is one of the links of the wider Eurasian North-South corridor, has been highlighted.
According to Urazayev, the decreasing coefficients on rail rates, benefits of the CIS tariff policy, and low tariffs, existing on this route, bring tangible benefits to the businesspersons, ensuring connectivity between Central Asia and South-Eastern Asia, Southern Europe.
The diplomat has confirmed Astana's support for the transnational energy projects implemented by Ashgabat, including the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-India-Pakistan gas pipeline project, the construction of which is in full swing.
As a promising area of transport cooperation with the Turkmen side, the senior diplomat outlined the transit potential of Turkmenistan. In particular, along with the existing route of delivery of Kazakhstani grain, petroleum products and other goods to the Afghan territory through Uzbekistan, the Kazakh side sees the possibility of using a new route passing through Turkmenistan with direct access to neighboring Afghanistan.
Concluding his remarks, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Armenia has expressed hope that the partners in the South Caucasus, Central Asia, including Turkmenistan, will make efforts to promote the established corridors in order to enable the tie-up of the continental economy.
