The first meeting of the High-Level Working Group on the Multimodal Corridor "Tajikistan–Uzbekistan–Turkmenistan–Iran–Türkiye" (TUTIT) will be held in Dushanbe on Thursday, 21 September. The meeting will be held under the auspices of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Ministry of Transport of Tajikistan reports. The meeting of the High-Level Working Group … [Read more...]
Taliban have modernized signs and symbols at borders with neighbouring countries
The Taliban government has completed the plan to modernize the border signs and symbols with the countries of Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China. This was mentioned by Noorullah Noori, the acting minister of Borders and Tribes, in his annual report, reports the Afghan media. He said that the change of signs and symbols was done according to a decree by … [Read more...]
Tariff Decreases Make North-South Corridor a More attractive Trade Route
Russian Railways Logistics is continuously working to reduce transit time of transportation on the routes of the North-South international transport corridor and pays special attention to the issue of reducing the cost of delivery. The statement came from the the Director of container transportation of JSC "Russian Railways Logistics" Alexander Sivertsev. The company marks a … [Read more...]
Tehran and Muscat step up efforts to launch the Ashgabat Agreement corridor
Director General of the Iranian Foreign Ministry for Persian Gulf Affairs Alireza Enayati announced the upcoming launch of the Iran-Oman-Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan corridor, Mehr News agency reports. In an interview with the IRNA news agency, the official spoke about the recent visit of Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said to Tehran, saying that serious discussions were … [Read more...]
Oil and gas swap arrangements with Caspian countries are part of Iran’s strategy
nCa Report Iran is working systematically to get into swap arrangements in the oil and gas sector with the Caspian littoral states. This is part of strategy of Iran to become a sub-regional energy hub. In the Caspian region, Kazakhstan was the first swap partner of Iran. In 1996, Iran and Kazakhstan signed an agreement for swap of 40000 barrels per day of light crude, … [Read more...]
Iran to hold a series of economic and cultural events in Ashgabat
At one of the recent government meetings of Turkmenistan, it was reported that the Iranian Days of Culture will be held in Ashgabat on 12-14 February, and a specialized exhibition of Iran to take place on 15-17 February. Iranian Ambassador to Turkmenistan Gholam Abbas Arbab Khales commented on the upcoming events in an interview with IRNA. According to him, the program of … [Read more...]
Туркменистан осудил вооруженное нападение на посольство Азербайджана в Иране
Министерство иностранных дел Туркменистана осуждает вооружённое нападение на Посольство Азербайджанской Республики в Исламской Республике Иран, совершённое 27 января 2023 года, в результате которого есть погибший и раненые среди сотрудников дипломатической миссии. Туркменистан заявляет о недопустимости нападения на дипломатические представительства и применения какого-либо … [Read more...]
Turkmenistan condemns armed attack on Azeri embassy in Iran
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan condemns the armed attack on the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Islamic Republic of Iran on January 27, 2023, as a result of which there are dead and wounded among the staff of the diplomatic mission. Turkmenistan declares the inadmissibility of attacks on diplomatic missions and the use of any violence against … [Read more...]
ECO Holds 26th Meeting of the Council of Ministers
The 26th Meeting of the ECO Council of Ministers (COM) was held in Tashkent on 24 January 2023 under the chairmanship of the Acting Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov. The event was attended by: Foreign minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov Foreign minister of Iran Hossein Amir Abdollahiyan Foreign minister of Kazakhstan - Mukhtar Tleuberdi … [Read more...]
Caspian Sea is shrinking fast. Littoral countries are trying to find a solution but it is a global responsibility.
nCa Commentary “ . . by 2100, water levels in the Caspian Sea could drop by another 8 to 30 meters (26 to 98 feet).” This is an alarming quote from a research paper titled, “The fate of the Caspian Sea under projected climate change and water extraction during the 21st century.” It was authored by Sifan A Koriche, Joy S Singarayer, and Hannah L Cloke, and published by … [Read more...]
Construction of Rasht-Astara railway line in Iran with Russian financing will connect railway systems of Iran and Azerbaijan
Russia is almost ready to finance the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway line along the Caspian coast of Iran. Russia’s State Council Secretary Igor Levitin, accompanied by the senior railway officials of Iran, inspected the proposed track route by helicopter on 18 January 2023. Iranian deputy transportation minister Kheirollah Khademi said that Iran and Russia … [Read more...]
Uzbekistan and Iran discuss multimodal corridor through Turkmenistan
Iran and Uzbekistan have agreed on the development of a trilateral multimodal transport corridor Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan–Iran. The relevant agreements were reached at the talks between the Minister of Transport of Uzbekistan Ilkhom Makhkamov and the Minister of Road Economy and Urban Development of Iran Mehrdod Bazrposh in Tashkent, on Monday, 19 June. Within the framework … [Read more...]
Uzbekistan: President Mirziyoyev proposed to adopt the SCO Code of Good Neighborliness, Trust and Cross-Border Partnership
In his speech at online SCO Summit on 4 July 2023, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev assessed the cardinal changes taking place in the system of international relations – the intensification of geopolitical tensions and escalation of conflicts, the emergence of new risks and threats to global stability and sustainable development, the growing challenges in the field of … [Read more...]
XI Jinping: China stands for multilateralism and strengthening peace for the sake of universal security
During his remarks at SCO Summit on 4 July 2023, President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping, focusing on the shocks that the modern world is experiencing, noted that humanity is facing unprecedented serious challenges. "What to choose, unity or split? Peace or conflict? Cooperation or confrontation? These issues have become relevant again in our time. My answer is … [Read more...]
A container train with newsprint paper went from Russia to India via Turkmenistan
A full-composite container train will deliver the paper products from Russia to India through the eastern branch of the international North-South corridor. A batch of one type of product was formed in this direction in 2022 for the first time, Russian Railways Logistics reports. 32 80-foot platforms owned by the container operator "Russian Railways Business Asset" were … [Read more...]
Trade volume of Iran with Caspian states grows in recent months – Iran media
The Iranian media has reported that there has been considerable growth in the trade volume between Iran and the Caspian states in the recent months. According to the Mehr News Agency of Iran, the trade (excluding crude oil exports) with Caspian Sea littoral states reached 4.62 million tons worth $2.49 billion during the first eight months of the current Iranian year (March … [Read more...]
Foreign direct investments between CIS countries and China, Iran, Arab states exceed US $75 billion – EDB Report
The EDB (Eurasian Development Bank) has issued a report on the mutual foreign direct investments (FDI) of the CIS countries with China, Iran and the Arab world. The report was issued on 20 December 2022. Here we are producing the EDB story on the report. The links to this story at the EDB website and the URL for downloading the complete report from the EDB website are … [Read more...]
Iran and Turkmen FMs hold phone conversation
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Turkmen counterpart Raşit Meredow held a telephone conversation last evening during which they discussed bilateral cooperation between Tehran and Ashgabat as well as regional developments. Amirabdollahian congratulated Meredow on the anniversary of Turkmenistan's neutrality. He then pointed to cooperation between … [Read more...]
Иран готов ввести в эксплуатацию 11–ю фазу Южного Парса – годовая добыча в Иране вырастет еще на 4 млрд кубометров
11-я фаза "Южного Парса" будет введена в эксплуатацию в ближайшие недели, заявил министр нефти Ирана Джавад Овджи 2 августа 2023 года. Он сказал, что суточная производственная мощность составит от 12 до 15 миллионов кубометров (около 4,38 миллиарда кубометров в год). По сообщению иранской службы новостей Mehr, Овджи назвал 11-ю фазу газового месторождения Южный Парс в … [Read more...]
Russia says freight route via Turkmenistan to Iran and India is promising
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 … [Read more...]
USD 40 billion worth of commitments between Iran and Russia, particularly in oil and gas
nCa Report The partnership commitments between Iran and Russia have been piling up this year, with the total tag in excess of USD 40 billion. Most of the deals are in the oil and gas sector although other areas of economy are also included. The bulk of the deals come from the 16th Joint Commission meeting held in Russia in November this year and the MoU signed between … [Read more...]
Iran authorities consider relaxing hijab law
According to several media sources, the authorities in Iran are considering to permit relaxation in the hijab law, the dress code that binds the women to cover their head and face in a certain prescribed way. There also the reports that the morality police that were mainly enforcing the hijab law, has been disbanded. However, some officials have refuted this … [Read more...]
President of Turkmenistan received the Minister of Energy of Iran
President Serdar Berdimuhamedov received Iranian Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian on Wednesday, 30 November. During the meeting, the Turkmen leader noted that Iran is a major trade and economic partner of Turkmenistan, occupying one of the leading positions in its foreign trade turnover. In this context, confidence was expressed that the meetings and negotiations … [Read more...]
North-South corridor gains traction, but faces bottlenecks and needs investments
Elvira Kadyrova The International North-South Transit corridor (INSTC) actively promoted by Russia connects the Eurasian Economic Union, Central Asia, the Caucasus, South Asia, East Africa and the Middle East by the shortest routes. Its eastern branch, overlapping with the route of the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway, is one of the essential links. Kazakhstan is making … [Read more...]
Iran strengthens its navy, marine service
nCa Report Iran has unveiled the additions to its navy and marine services. The authorities say that the build-up is purely for the defensive purposes. On 28 November 2022, which is celebrated in Iran as the National Day of the Navy, the civil and naval leadership made public the recent inductions and planned additions to the naval and marine capabilities. Here are the … [Read more...]
President of Turkmenistan receives minister of oil of Iran
President Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan received on Wednesday, 16 November 2022, the minister of oil of Iran, Javad Ovji. The sides discussed the key aspects of bilateral cooperation in the fuel and energy sector, emphasizing the strategic nature of the sector in the economies of both the countries. They noted that the colossal resources and economic … [Read more...]
Moscow format meeting on Afghanistan takes place without Afghan delegates
Elvira Kadyrova The participants of the fourth meeting of the Moscow format on Afghanistan called for the creation of an inclusive Afghan government and the early unfreezing of assets to overcome the socio-economic crisis in this country --- both of these topics are not novel. The Kabul government's inclusiveness, as understood by regional actors and players, became a … [Read more...]
Iran is keen on opening border crossing between its North Khorasan province and Turkmenistan
The establishment of the of the border crossing with Turkmenistan is very important for the Iranian province of North Khorasan, having a 300 km common border with this neighboring country, said the governor of North Khorasan Mohammad Reza Hosseinnejad at the negotiations with Akhal province governor on Tuesday, 18 Oct, IRNA reports. According to Iranian official, the … [Read more...]
Iran and Central Asian countries adopted a joint statement on transport cooperation
The first meeting on transport and transit cooperation between Iran and five Central Asian countries wrapped up in Tehran on Sunday, 9 Oct. During the two-day event, the heads of the transport authorities of Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, considered the possibilities of expanding transit cooperation. Deputy transport minister of … [Read more...]
Iran aims to switch to electricity grids of Russia and the SCO countries through Turkmenistan
Iran is working on a major project to connect its national energy system with the power grids of Russia and other SCO countries through Turkmenistan. This statement came from Mohammad Ali Farakhnakian, Advisor to the Iranian Minister of Energy for International Affairs, in an interview with IRNA. According to official, all that is required to put these plans into action is … [Read more...]
Second Caspian Economic Forum in Moscow – Outcomes
From 5 to 6 October, 2022, Moscow hosted the second Caspian Economic Forum, which became the most important platform in the post-pandemic period for discussing topical issues of cooperation between the countries of the Caspian region. The two-day forum was attended by over a thousand delegates and not only from the Caspian countries, but also from Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and … [Read more...]
Turkmenistan to reduce the transit costs for Iranian cargo carriers
From 1 October 2022, Turkmenistan has been canceling fees for transporting transit goods for Iranian trucks, managing director of the Lotfabad border terminal Mohsen Rukni said in an interview with an IRNA. Earlier, a fee of US $1.5 per km was charged from Iranian cargo carriers for transit through Turkmenistan. At the same time, the Iranian side will reciprocate by … [Read more...]
Turkmen gas is a strategic asset for Iran in its ambitious energy agenda
Iran and Turkmenistan have a lot of room for expanding partnership in the hydrocarbon sector. Additionally, the importing Turkmen gas could aid Iran in achieving its strategic ambition of turning into a regional energy hub, a recent study by the Research Center at the Iranian Parliament found. In light of Turkmenistan's strive to expand its gas export routes, Iran will be … [Read more...]
The Caspian – a unique region of neighbourliness
Sergey Lavrov , Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation On June 29, 2022, Ashgabat hosted an important international event, the 6th Caspian Summit, and I believe it is important to consider the role and place of the Caspian Region in the fairer, more democratic and sustainable multi-polar system that is taking shape today. The importance of the Caspian Region … [Read more...]
Samarkand Summit – SCO is a new leader in the emerging multipolar world
nCa Report On 16 September 2022, Samarkand hosted a meeting of the SCO heads of state under the chairmanship of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. For the first time in the history of the organization, the summit was held in such a broad format. The leaders of 14 countries attended the gathering, including: Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra … [Read more...]
Landlocked Uzbekistan to reach the open ocean through Turkmenistan and Iran
Elvira Kadyrova The transport and logistics cooperation took a prominent part in negotiations held on Wednesday, 14 September between the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran. The parties agreed that the establishment of road transportation along the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran route, the effective utilization of the Chabahar … [Read more...]
Turkmenistan to join North-South Corridor
Turkmenistan will join the North-South transport corridor established by Russia, Iran and India. The statement came from the minister of foreign affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov on Friday (19 Aug) during a briefing at the ministry of foreign affairs of Turkmenistan dedicated to the outcomes of the ministerial transport conference of LLDCs. According to Meredov, … [Read more...]
First Russian rail transit cargo traveling along the North-South corridor arrived in Iran
The first transit train from Russia, heading for India along the North-South corridor, arrived in Iran on Tuesday through the Sarakhs crossing at the border with Turkmenistan. The pilot train consisting of 40 forty-foot containers loaded with building materials will run 8,000 km and reach the Indian port of Nhava Sheva via Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and … [Read more...]
Ashgabat Summit: Caspian countries reaffirmed a shared vision for strong friendship and cooperation
nCa Report On 29 June 2022, the Presidents of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Ebrahim Raisi of Iran, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan and Vladimir Putin of Russia met in Ashgabat for the 6th Summit of Heads of Caspian States. The summit, held in narrow and expanded formats, discussed the issues of interaction between coastal countries and … [Read more...]
Regional Leaders congratulated Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on his birthday
Before the start of the Caspian Summit, the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Iran met with the ex-President of Turkmenistan Arkadag Berdimuhamedov, who celebrated his 65th birthday on 29 June. Presidents Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan, Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, head of upper house of Russian parliament Valentina Matvienko … [Read more...]
FMs agreed on a package of documents for the Caspian Summit
The foreign ministers of the Caspian littoral countries at a meeting in Ashgabat (28 Jun) agreed on a number of documents and Communique to be adopted during the Caspian Summit scheduled for today (29 June). Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tleuberdi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Hossein Amir Abdollahiyan, Minister of Foreign … [Read more...]
Turkmenistan permitted the transit of goods through another Iranian border crossing
From 4 July 2022, the Turkmen authorities have allowed transit trucks to cross the Lotfabad checkpoint (Iran) in the city of Derregez in northeastern Iran in order to transport goods to Central Asian countries. The statement came from the head of the Transit and Road Transportation Department of Khorasan Razavi province Mortez Mojaradi. The agreement between Iran and … [Read more...]
Iranian, Russian and Kazakhstan leaders to visit Ashgabat for Caspian summit
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is scheduled to travel to Ashgabat on Wednesday, 29 June, to attend a Summit of Caspian Sea littoral states. According to Iranian media, the president will head a high-level economic delegation to Turkmenistan’s capital. The press service of Kazakhstani president has already confirmed visit of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Ashgabat. Earlier, … [Read more...]
Turkmen FM discussed with his Iranian counterpart upcoming Caspian Summit
The forthcoming Summit of the Caspian littoral states in Ashgabat and the implementation of bilateral agreements were discussed during the telephone talks of foreign minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov with his Iranian counterpart Amir Abdullahyan. Referring to the recent meeting of the two presidents in Tehran, Iranian foreign minister called the visit a turning … [Read more...]
President of Turkmenistan paid an official visit to Iran – Leaders agreed to sign strategic cooperation document for 20 years
nCa Report On 15 June 2022, the summit talks were held in Tehran between President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and President of Iran Seyed Ebrahim Raisi. The leaders of the two neighboring countries held meetings in a one-on-one format and in an expanded format with the participation of delegations. Tete-a-tete talks Iran is sincerely proud of the successes of … [Read more...]
Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan met his Iranian counterpart
The foreign minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov met Tuesday, 14 Jun, with his Iranian counterpart Hussein Amirabdollahian. The meeting discussed issues of mutual interest, ahead of a visit by Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to Iran, said Iranian foreign ministry in a press release. Amirabdollahian once again offered congratulations to Turkmenistan … [Read more...]
Working Group on the Caspian Sea met in Iran
On 23-24 May 2022, the fourth meeting of the High-level Working Group on the Caspian Sea was held in Tehran, the foreign ministry of Kazakhstan said in a press release. The negotiations were attended by delegations of the Caspian five - Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. In accordance with the agenda of the meeting, a draft Agreement on the methodology … [Read more...]
Third Ministerial Meeting of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries – Outcomes
Elvira Kadyrova On 31 March 2022, the third ministerial conference of Afghanistan's neighboring countries took place in the Chinese city of Tunxi, which was attended by Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Heads of participating delegations: Russia – minister of foreign affairs Sergey Lavrov China – chairman of the meeting – … [Read more...]
MFA China: More details on Afghanistan’s Neighboring Countries meeting
Elvira Kadyrova During regular press conference on Monday, 28 Mar, foreign ministry of China briefed on upcoming ministerial conference of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries: State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will chair the third Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan in Tunxi, Anhui on 30-31 March 2022. Foreign Ministers or … [Read more...]
China to host ministerial conference of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries
On 31 March 2022, Tunxi, China, will host the third ministerial conference of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries, including Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. This meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the coordination of regional efforts on humanitarian and socioeconomic assistance to Afghanistan. The parties will compare … [Read more...]