On the sidelines of the second meeting of Transport Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, a trilateral meeting was held between the Minister of Transport of Uzbekistan, Ilkhom Makhkamov, the Minister of Roads and Urban Development of Iran, Farzaneh Sadegh, and the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Türkiye, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu. The officials discussed the future of the “Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Iran – Türkiye” transport corridor.
This route is already being recognized as one of the most promising overland paths connecting Central Asia with the Middle East and Europe. According to experts, it bypasses lengthy maritime routes via the Suez Canal, potentially cutting cargo delivery times by nearly half.
Makhkamov emphasized that the development of the international multimodal corridor “Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Iran – Türkiye” is a priority task.
Special attention was given to the integration of the under-construction China – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan railway into existing corridors, including exits through Iran and Türkiye. This strategic move would grant Central Asia direct access to European markets.
To maximize the transit potential of all countries along the route, the Uzbek side put forward several concrete proposals:
- Conduct a collaborative study with the business community to identify bottlenecks in freight transport.
- Develop a joint program focused on infrastructure development and increasing transit volumes.
- Implement digital documentation and ensure mutual recognition of electronic records.
- Streamline border crossings through the implementation of a pre-notification system.
The parties agreed to establish an expert working group to manage the implementation of these initiatives and prepare subsequent steps.
Container Trains on the Horizon
Recently, during the fourth meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Ankara, chaired by Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Uzbekistan and Türkiye reached an agreement to launch regular container train services along this route.
The “Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Iran – Türkiye” corridor was officially formalized by a protocol signed by the transport authorities of the four nations in 2023.
Estimates suggest the new route provides Central Asian countries with access to Turkish ports (including Mersin) and onward to Europe and other continents. This route complements other existing corridors, such as the Middle or Trans-Caspian corridors, significantly enhancing global supply chain reliability.
/// nCa, 17 February 2026