An analyst Mikhail Stolonogov commented on the work being done by Turkmenistan to develop the transport and logistics sector in an interview with CentralAsia.news. The publicist emphasised that the country hosts major international forums on a regular basis to give a qualitatively new impetus to cooperation in this sector.
Efforts of the country’s leadership
President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov took part in the anniversary, 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2021 and the SCO Summit in Samarkand in September 2022. The specific initiatives of creating and developing transcontinental and regional transport and transit corridors were put forward at these meetings.
The Resolution on the declaration of November 26 World Sustainable Transport Day, which was co-sponsored by 67 countries, was adopted at the 70th plenary meeting of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in 2023 at the initiative of Turkmenistan and with the unanimous support of the UN Member States.
Speaking at the Central Asia-China Summit, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasised that Ashgabat is ready to take an active part in developing joint transport projects. The President highlighted the importance of the Revival of the Great Silk Road Programme developed by Turkmenistan for economic development of Eurasia.
In his speech at the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Astana on November 3, 2023, National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov invited the OTS Member States to employ the logistics potential of Turkmenistan.
The above events vividly testify to the high international authority of Turkmenistan and the fruitfulness of the proposals put forward by the country’s leadership to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in the transport and logistics sector.
The timeliness and significance of these proposals are obvious, since the transport and logistics sector is a key segment of the world economy, affecting the sustainability and balance of global economic relations, and plays a pivotal role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Development at the dawn of independence
The transport component is nothing more than an engine of economic growth. The movement of goods helps all other areas function normally and provides the people with various products.
Turkmenistan that had practically no well-developed transport network at the dawn of independence that allowed moving outside the country was covered in a few years with a network of modern transport routes which not only connected all the regions of the country, but also built bridges beyond its borders.
These bridges served to promote friendly ties among peoples in different countries and establish effective cooperation, and therefore strengthen peace and stability in the region and globally.
In fact, bridges to the future have been built, and new, truly breathtaking development opportunities for the country, where vast expanses are crossed by transport corridors, have been opened up.
Transformations
A key component of current transformations gradually implemented in Turkmenistan’s transport and logistics sector is the modernisation of infrastructure and the technology upgrade of the automobile, railway, maritime and aviation industries that have a major role to play in transporting passengers and goods both on domestic and international routes. The recent examples include the purchase of the passenger airliners Boeing 777-300 ER and an Airbus cargo aircraft for the Turkmen Airline Agency that have started flying along international routes.
Prospects for the future
Consistent efforts to connect to the global transport network and expand infrastructure along the main routes. Because logistics is essential to the revival of the Great Silk Road in a new quality and the integration of the economic polarities of the Eurasian continent. And further, the connection to the international transport network in the southern and eastern directions.
The main vector of the foreign policy of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov is the transformation of Central Asia and the Caspian Sea Basin into a strong link of strategic stability on the Eurasian continent, as well as Turkmenistan into a reliable partner of all interested countries and, certainly, into an important transport and transit hub of continental significance.
