Developing a reliable transport infrastructure is a key priority of the state policy of Turkmenistan. The large-scale long-term national programmes are aimed at enhancing material and technical resources of this sector and modernising and developing transport systems; furthermore, cooperation in transport is being ramped up, and major transport projects are being implemented at the initiative of the country’s leadership. Analyst for Central Asia Vadim Shagiakhmedov commented on this issue in an interview with CentralAsia.news.
Ashgabat hosted the XXXVIII Meeting of the Conference of General Directors and Authorised Representatives of OSJD Railways on April 15-19. The forum brought together the representatives of the transport organisations from 22 countries. The participants reviewed the work done recently by the transport organisations from the OSJD Member Countries and discussed the fulfilment of the upcoming important tasks.
Chairman of the Turkmendemiryollary Agency Azat Atamuradov confirmed that the Turkmen side is seeking to boost cooperation through diversifying logistics interconnectivity among the OSJD Member Countries. Atamuradov called the Transport Diplomacy Programme of the President of Turkmenistan for 2022-2025 a workable engine of growth in the communications sector.
«The Government of Turkmenistan has made significant progress in the practical dimension of this Programme towards building interconnectivity, supporting the development of transport and transit infrastructure, accelerating transit operations and attracting investment to diversify the railway transshipment functionality,» the Chairman of the Turkmendemiryollary Agency said.
Deputy General Director of Russian Railways JSC Vyacheslav Pavlovsky made presentation on the prospects of multifaceted cooperation with Turkmenistan. He said the company plans to open a representative office in Ashgabat and reconstruct a railcar repair plant in Gyzylarbat town. Furthermore, the parties signed the Cooperation Programme for 2023-2025.
«Through joint efforts, container operations are performed successfully along the eastern route of the North-South ITC in accordance with this document. In late January 2024, the regular movement of container trains via the Akyayla-Inche-Burun crossing point on the Turkmen-Iranian border was launched,» Pavlovsky noted.
The Deputy General Director said the Russian side is ready to provide assistance in railway electrification and offer an integrated approach to creating a regulatory framework for railway electrification and personnel training. Pavlovsky stated that the Corporate University of Russian Railways had developed a training programme for Turkmen specialists.
«First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Turkmenistan’s leadership for the excellent organisation of the forum. We discussed the work done on freight and passenger transportation and infrastructure, the activities of the permanent working groups in 2023 and the plans of action for 2025,» OSJD Chairman Miroslav Antonovich said.
Antonovich focused on the exceptional role that Turkmenistan plays in developing the Eurasian transport network and its contribution to the implementation of joint projects and initiatives. He emphasised that the country, as a link of the Great Silk Road, is currently serving as a key link connecting Asia, the Caucasus, Europe and the Far East.
«We attended the launching ceremony of the second stage of the Ashgabat-Turkmenabat highway project as part of the forum. Road construction experts confirmed that the highway complies with international standards. This is testified by the certificates of 3 foreign companies. I am confident that the highway will have a positive impact on the growth in multimodal freight transport and build up capacities of transnational transport corridors,» the OSJD Chairman said.
Authorized Representative of Georgian Railway JSC to the OSJD Zurab Kozmava highly evaluated the quality of the new infrastructure facility, calling it a classic world-class highway. Chairman of the Board of Eesti Raudtee JSC (Estonia) Kaido Zimmermann said Turkmenistan’s transport and transit sector has a promising future. He emphasised that along with convenience for drivers, high-speed highways help boost freight transit and bring great benefits.
Following the Conference, the delegates signed the Ashgabat Declaration, in which they commended the initiative and efforts of Turkmenistan in adopting the UN General Assembly Resolutions. The conference participants adopted the important decisions on passenger and freight transportation, infrastructure and rolling stock, coding and computer science, finance and accounting and personnel training.
On April 17, 2024, the UN General Assembly convened the High-Level Meeting on Sustainable Transport at the initiative of Turkmenistan. The participants called for coordinated actions to ensure accessible, affordable and environmentally friendly means of transportation for all. This step should be the main goal of the action plan for the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport 2026-2035.
On April 5, 2024, the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Brussels held a briefing, which was attended by the representatives of the Maritime and River Transport Agency of Turkmenistan and the heads of the media and research and analysis centres from the European countries. The participants discussed the transport diplomacy strategies of Turkmenistan, the innovative capabilities of the Turkmenbashi international port and Turkmenistan’s potential in this sector.
