On 19 October, Oleg Belozerov, CEO of Russian Railways, met in Ashgabat with Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Co-Chairman of the Intergovernmental Russian-Turkmen Commission on Economic Cooperation Rashid Meredov, Director General of the Agency for Transport and Communications under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Mammethan Chakiyev and Chairman of the Agency “Turkmen Railways” Azat Atamuradov, the press service of Russian Railways reports.
During the meetings, issues of the development of the eastern branch of the international transport corridor (ITC) “North–South”, running through the territory of Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran and further via the sea to the countries of the Persian Gulf and South Asia, were discussed.
According to the company, as a result of the interaction of logistics companies of Russian and Turkmen railways, it is expected to launch a regular container service in the near future.
The planning of the transportation of coke, metallurgical products, and various other goods from Russia to the UAE, Turkey, and other countries via Turkmenistan and Iran is also on the table.
The parties are exploring the prospect of implementing joint infrastructure projects in Turkmenistan in order to improve the volume of transit along the North-South corridor. They may include the digitalization of Turkmen railways and the development of human resources.
According to preliminary estimates, by 2025, the total export traffic from Russia along the eastern route of the North–South corridor would exceed 5 million tons per year.
The first container cargoes with fertilizers from Russia to India via the Iranian seaport of Bandar Abbas have already been transported along this route. ///nCa, 20 October 2022