Human Capital for the Middle Corridor: Why DARYA Came to Ashgabat
"Infrastructure Connects Territories, While Education Connects People!" — this pragmatic and profound insight served as the central theme of the fifth meeting of the DARYA (Dialogue and Action for Resourceful Youth in Central Asia) High-Level Group, held in Ashgabat on October 13, 2026. DARYA is a European Union regional project designed to support youth across Central Asia.
While global financial institutions, multinational corporations, and international media outlets tally the billions being invested in new railway lines, deep-water berths, and automated container terminals for the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR)—commonly known as the "Middle Corridor"—a different, more concrete set of questions was being addressed behind the doors of the Archabil Hotel in Ashgabat.
Specifically: who will take the helm of this colossal digital and transport apparatus? Who will operate the controls, calculate end-to-end multimodal tariffs, and manage the highly complex logistics hubs stretching from Shanghai to Rotterdam?
Participants in the DARYA High-Level Group meeting gathered to seek answers to this challenge. For two days, Ashgabat became an analytical hub, bringing together the very people who shape the strategy for human capital development across the Eurasian region.
Why Is There an "As of Yesterday" Need for Personnel?
To understand why a seemingly modest educational program is currently commanding the attention of foreign ministries and leading economists, one must take a broader look at the contemporary map of Eurasia.
Global logistics is undergoing a tectonic shift—a topic that the media, without exception, writes about incessantly these days. We see that traditional northern overland routes are not only overburdened but also face geopolitical constraints. Meanwhile, southern maritime routes via the Suez Canal remain unstable, as they are subject to significant risks.
Given these realities, the Middle Corridor—which connects China and Central Asia to Europe via the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus—has evolved from a mere alternative into a vital artery for economic security.
Countries in the region are modernizing their ports at an accelerated pace. Turkmenistan has invested heavily in the Turkmenbashi International Seaport, transforming it into a major Caspian gateway to Central Asia.
However, global experience has demonstrated a clear pattern: one can purchase the best cranes from abroad, lay down railway tracks, and build massive terminals, yet if local personnel—and those in neighboring countries—lack the skills to operate according to unified international digital standards, this multi-billion-dollar infrastructure will fail to deliver the expected results.
The success of any international project hinges directly on the level of training among the frontline specialists in neighboring countries. That is precisely why investing in human capital has become a cornerstone of geopolitics today.
A Diplomatic Contingent at the Archabil Hotel and the Cultural Code of Magtymguly
On the morning of October 13, the halls of the capital’s Archabil Hotel were already abuzz well before the official start time stipulated by the protocol. Behind the scenes, national delegations from Central Asian countries held intensive, closed-door consultations with the leadership of the European Training Foundation (ETF). These discussions focused on developing a pragmatic agenda for balancing national interests with European standards.
As the participants filed into the conference hall, the high international standing of the event became immediately apparent. In his opening remarks, the European Union Special Representative for Central Asia, Eduards Stiprais, made a subtle yet powerful diplomatic gesture: he invoked the cultural heritage of the Turkmen people by quoting the great Turkmen poet and thinker Magtymguly Pyragy:
"An ignorant person without knowledge lives but a single year, while an educated person lives for a thousand years!"
This poetic quote was more than just a perfunctory compliment to the hosts. Stiprais linked it to a broader global trend: in the 21st century, the professional skills and knowledge possessed by young people have transcended the scope of traditional reports issued by ministries of education. Today, this has become an essential component of macroeconomic stability and the competitiveness of the entire region in an era defined by pervasive digitalization and a global energy transition.
Through its "Global Gateway" strategy, the European Union provides Central Asia with more than just financial resources; it offers technologies and standards that generate added value by fostering a pool of highly skilled local professionals.
The Position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan: Planning a Quarter-Century Ahead
In her remarks, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Myakhri Byashimova indicated that Ashgabat views the DARYA program as a vital practical instrument.
Turkmenistan occupies an advantageous geographical position at the crossroads of East–West and North–South transport corridors, and the development of multimodal transport via the Caspian Sea remains an absolute priority for the country.
However, the primary focus highlighted by the Ministry—which sparked lively discussion on the sidelines—was the recently approved Strategy for the Development of Higher Professional Education in Turkmenistan for 2026–2052. This serves as a key analytical indicator, confirming that the state is shaping its human resources policy not on an ad-hoc basis, but with a planning horizon extending a quarter-century into the future.
Among the priorities of this Strategy, the speaker emphasized "improving the quality and international competitiveness of the national education system, more closely aligning professional training with the needs of the economy and the labor market, and implementing modern educational technologies and digital solutions."
In the context of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the European Union, she specifically noted that “the DARYA project serves as an important instrument for aligning educational approaches, exchanging professional expertise, and developing the competencies required by the modern economy.”
Myakhri Khojamgulyyevna explicitly identified key future professions—areas in which Turkmenistan is investing and which are essential for supporting the Middle Corridor. These include, first and foremost, specialists in digital logistics, the management of complex multimodal transport flows, and modern customs administration.
In her remarks, the Deputy Foreign Minister also highlighted the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026–2035)—an initiative proposed by the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov—emphasizing that the development of human capital serves as its foundation.
Eurasia’s “Digital River” and the Estonian Route
Luc Devigne, the European Union Ambassador to Turkmenistan, framed the discussion using concrete tools and vivid metaphors. He drew the participants’ attention to the symbolic nature of the program’s name—DARYA—which means “river” in Turkic languages (as seen in the names Syr Darya and Amu Darya; the latter is historically linked to the ancient city of Amul, known today as Turkmenabat).
In this context, the EU Ambassador suggested viewing the project as a new “digital river” that connects the five states of the region through shared knowledge and standards.
Moving beyond abstract terminology, Mr. Devigne highlighted practical achievements. Specifically, he pointed to the SCAFFOLD project—a set of 102 interactive cards developed by the European Training Foundation—designed to revolutionize vocational education by helping educators step-by-step in crafting a dynamic learning process. According to the speaker, this tool is already being used by 15,000 teachers and 26,000 students across the region!
However, the most significant practical news from the EU Ambassador was the announcement of a concrete step: from November 30 to December 3, 2026, a team from Turkmenistan will travel to Estonia—a recognized leader in digitalization and IT within the European Union—for a peer-learning visit.
Turkmen specialists will gain firsthand insight into how digital systems manage government processes and logistics, with the aim of subsequently applying this expertise to their own country’s ports and railways.
A Pragmatic Approach from the Ministry of Education: Drafting the Law on Qualifications
Azat Atayev, Deputy Minister of Education of Turkmenistan, shifted the discussion toward concrete economic realities:
"A transport corridor is not a project belonging to a single country. Before a container shipped from Asia reaches Europe, it passes through the hands of railway workers, freight forwarders, port personnel, and customs officials across several states. While individual countries can build their own railways and ports, a corridor only functions effectively when the people operating along its entire length share common competencies, standards, and mutual trust," the speaker noted.
In other words, if personnel at any stage of an international route lack the necessary skills, the entire transnational chain will falter, resulting in significant losses.
In this context, the speaker shared information—relevant well beyond just the Turkmen labor market—that the country is currently drafting a Law on Qualifications. This signifies that Turkmenistan is establishing a national qualifications system, with standards designed to be updated in line with the specific demands of the modern economy.
Simply put, the knowledge, skills, and qualifications acquired by Turkmen graduates will be legally recognized beyond the country’s borders—all along the Middle Corridor, from China to Europe.
Testing Through Practice: What International Guests Saw at the Construction School
To demonstrate to their international partners that the reforms in Turkmenistan are more than just rhetoric for the podium, the entire high-level delegation—including leadership from the European Training Foundation and various diplomats—spent the evening of the forum’s first day moving from their hotel conference hall to the classrooms of the Ashgabat Secondary Vocational Construction School, which operates under the Ministry of Construction and Architecture.
This was no mere ceremonial visit; it was a hands-on immersion into the educational process. The guests were shown how the vocational school, in collaboration with actual employers, is restructuring its curricula. As the country’s construction sector evolves rapidly to meet modern demands—shifting toward greater sustainability—students here are already learning about energy-efficient technologies for residential buildings.
Instructors provided a clear demonstration of how the vocational school puts the aforementioned "SCAFFOLD" frameworks into practice, engaging students through interactive tasks.
European experts spoke directly with students and graduates—some of whom now run their own businesses. Ashgabat has provided a compelling example of how the country is actively shifting from theory to large-scale practical application, serving as a driving force for workforce modernization across the entire region.
In this way, the European Union’s DARYA program and the ministries of Central Asian nations are—before our very eyes—rewriting the rules of the game for the region’s economy.
(To be continued)
Bekdurdy AMANSARYYEV, Center for Strategic Studies, Institute of International Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan
