Cooperation between Russia and Turkmenistan in the development of the international transport corridor “North –South” is considered as an important step towards the full deepening of cooperation between the two countries.
This topic was widely discussed during the 12th meeting of the joint Intergovernmental Russian-Turkmen Commission on Economic Cooperation, held in Moscow on 7 December 2022.
There is a steady growth in cargo transportation along the eastern branch of the corridor passing through Turkmenistan.
In January-November 2022, 62,000 tons of cargo and 220 containers were transported along this segment of the North-South corridor towards Iran, South Asian countries and the Persian Gulf. For comparison, in 2021, the freight was 700 tons.
“We see significant opportunities for the development of the eastern route of this corridor with onward access from Turkmenistan to Iran and India,” stressed the co–chairman of the commission, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexey Overchuk.
He also underlined the readiness to use the Russian seaports of the Caspian Sea and Turkmenbashi on a wide range of issues
“The topic of creating a union of special economic zones of the Caspian states deserves special attention in the development of the agreements reached at the 6th Caspian Summit of heads of state and at the 2nd Caspian Economic Forum,” Overchuk added.
On the sidelines of the commission session, Russian Railways and Turkmen Railways signed a Cooperation Development Program for 2023-2025. The document, among other things, provides for the development of transportation and logistics services, including setting up a regular container service along the eastern route of the INSTC and a block train offering a minimum delivery time for agricultural products, raw materials and industrial goods between Turkmenistan and Russia. ///nCa, 12 December 2022