Turkmenistan can become an important transport hub between Europe and Asia. Our country has a modern port infrastructure on the Caspian Sea, the importance of which as an international corridor for the transit of goods on the continent is only increasing, said Deputy of  General Director of the Agency for Transport and Communications under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Batyr Annaev, at the opening of the Global Gateway Investor Forum in Brussels.

The official Turkmenistan delegation comprises Batyr Annaev, Deputy of General Director of the Agency for Transport and Communications under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan; Muhammet Muhammedov, Deputy Head of Service at the State Customs Service; Seyitguly Bayseidov, Deputy Chairman of the Agency «Turkmendenizderyayollary», Bekmyrat Ishangulyev, Deputy Chairman of the Agency «Turkmendemiryollary»; and Merdan Byashimov, General Director of «Transport and Logistics Center"» LLC.

Presenting the transport capabilities of Turkmenistan, Batyr Annaev noted that in recent years the country has actively invested in the development of infrastructure, including railways, roads, air and sea routes. Today, more than five thousand kilometers of steel roads provide reliable communications between regions and have significant transit potential. The International seaport of Turkmenbashi with a capacity of 17 million tons per year is a major transport hub in the west of the country with access to world trade routes. The launch of new projects in the aviation industry, such as the construction of the seventh airport in the country, will increase the capacity of national airports by 3,800 passengers per hour. The second section of the 600-kilometer Ashgabat-Turkmenabat highway, which is of strategic importance for cargo transportation logistics, is being prepared for commissioning.

In modern conditions of uncertainty in supply chain management, transport routes passing through the countries of Central Asia offer not only great opportunities for establishing sustainable and safe transportation, but also promising investment opportunities for European companies. “In this regard, we are interested in exchanging experience in the development of transport infrastructure, introducing digital technologies for managing transport flows, and also welcome European large logistics operators interested in using existing logistics capacities and creating new cross-border trade and logistics hubs in Turkmenistan,” said Batyr Annaev.

Cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and the EU in the field of transport is an important contribution to strengthening economic ties in the region, he emphasized, inviting all interested parties to discuss specific transport cooperation projects.

On the first day of the Forum, several specific commitments were announced to ensure sustainable transport connectivity in Central Asia. Parallel thematic sessions examined the possibilities of reducing transit time between Central Asia and Europe, increasing operational efficiency, improving ground transport infrastructure and other communication problems from the point of view of multimodality and logistics.