Port of Turkmenbashi may become a new hub of the ITC "North-South"
Turkmenistan intends to join the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which will thus acquire an additional route option by including the port of Turkmenbashi on the Caspian Sea.
In confirmation of this statement, once again voiced last week during the Ministerial Transport Conference of Landlocked Developing Countries, which took place in Avaza, a Turkmen delegation representing the Waterways Agency visited the Astrakhan region and its ports.
Turkmenistan will continue to work with Russia in areas such as rail, road, air and maritime transport, and the countries have great potential for cooperation in the context of the North-South corridor. The ITC Agreement was signed by Russia, Iran and India in 1998 and entered into force in 2000.
Later it was joined by Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Armenia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Russia, Tajikistan and Turkey. It is expected that after the full completion of the project, the infrastructure of the ITC "North-South" will be able to handle 15 million tons of cargo per year. INSTC is expected to cut the transit time between Mumbai and Moscow in half, based on the route through Azerbaijan.
And with the port of Turkmenbashi in the corridor, the transit capabilities of the Caspian are increasing. Turkmenistan's role in INSTC is that its port will become a hub with routes leading east to both Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. Routes that would provide a connection through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan with China were also studied.
Goods leaving the port of Turkmenbashi can head north to Russian markets via Astrakhan, the Caucasus, Turkey and the European Union via the Azerbaijani port of Baku, or south via the Iranian port of Enzeli to markets throughout Iran, and then leave the Iranian port of Chabahar in Persian Gulf by INSTC rail to reach seaports in the Middle East, East Africa, India and South Asia.
In addition, Turkmenistan is looking for new routes to the UAE. The transport conference in Avaza also discussed the prospects for closer cooperation between the port of Turkmenbashi and the ports of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Moreover, a Russian-Turkmen agreement was signed, and Turkmenistan signed an agreement with Georgia and Moldova to improve transport links. Among the issues discussed in these agreements is the simplification of the visa regime for participants in international road transport and the removal of barriers to the development of bilateral and transit road transport.
The issue of Turkmenistan's access to ports in southern Iran, such as Chabahar and Bandar Abbas, was also considered, which opens Ashgabat access to international waters.
Turkmenistan plays an important role in the successful development of international transport corridors, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) said. “Support from the Government of Turkmenistan will be essential for the successful development of international transport corridors, in particular the Lapis Lazuli,” the IRU said in a statement.
The Lapis Lazuli Corridor is designed to strengthen regional economic cooperation and ties between Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, as well as expand trade and cultural interaction between Europe and Asia. In doing so, the initiative aims to improve transport infrastructure and procedures (including road, rail and maritime), increase exports and expand economic opportunities for countries that benefit from this new transport corridor.
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