Transport - The Times Of Central Asia

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Port of Turkmenbashi Begins Cargo Transport With Russian Port of Olya

Turkmenistan's Caspian Sea port of Turkmenbashi has started shipping cargo to the Russian port of Olya on the Turkmenistan-flagged ferry Bagtyyar, according to a report from the Turkmen Sea and River Routes (Turkmendeñizderýaýollary) Agency. The agency calls this voyage an important step towards the development of trade relations between Turkmenistan and Russia -- and an opportunity for the national merchant fleet to deliver perishable goods to their destination on time. The Bagtyyar, which according to Marine Optima was built in 2015 and has a summer deadweight tonnage (DWT) of just over 3,300 tons, is equipped with modern safety and navigation systems which guarantee cargo safety. Additionally, the Turkmen side says it's ready to open a shipping route for grain crops to be transited from the southern regions of Russia through the Caspian Sea to the countries of the Persian Gulf and other markets. At the port of Turkmenbashi, goods can be transshipped through the free zone without customs fees for up to three years. 2018 saw the opening of the port of Turkmenbashi, which increased access to markets throughout the Middle East and Europe. The project, worth $1.5 billion, was carried out by Gap Inşaat, a company based in Turkey. With the exception of oil products, the port can handle 17 million tons of different types of cargo annually. Four terminals (general cargo, container, bulk cargo and car ferries) are located on an area of more than 150 hectares.

Tajikistan Migration Central Asia Transport

Air Travel Between Tajikistan and Russia Rebounding After Terrorist Attack

Passenger traffic on flights between Tajikistan and Russia decreased after the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall near Moscow on March 22, which Tajik members of the Islamic State (IS) are suspected of perpetrating. But the news site Avesta reports that the flow of passengers between the two countries is increasing again. Tajikistan's national airline Somon Air has commented: “Currently, we are observing an increase in the flow of passengers to and from the Russian Federation compared to two weeks ago. We hope that by the end of the month, the flow of passengers will be fully restored to the previous level.” Representatives of Somon Air mentioned that they didn't reduce the number of flights to Russian cities in the wake of the terrorist attack and subsequent political friction, and that the frequency of flights on some routes actually increased. The airline operates approximately 130–140 flights between Tajikistan and Russian cities per month.

Central Asia Kazakhstan Transport Security Export/import Defense

Kazakh Military to Receive Transport Plane From Airbus

The world's largest aerospace company Airbus is preparing to deliver its first military transport aircraft to Kazakhstan. The A400M Atlas aircraft will be used by the Ministry of Defense. Airbus recently published a video on its website which shows how the aircraft has been painted for the Kazakh Ministry of Defense. The airliner will begin test flights in the near future. In 2021 Kazakhstan placed an order for a pair of four-engine military transport aircraft. It was subsequently reported that the country intends to use these airliners together with other vessels from the military fleet. Kazakhstan will become the ninth country to operate this type of aircraft -- and the first foreign customer since 2005. The A400M is already in use in Turkey, Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Luxembourg. The first of the two airplanes, bearing tail number MSN139 and service number 21, is intended to be delivered to the country by the end of this year. The second airliner is scheduled for delivery in 2025. The A400M can carry 116 fully equipped paratroopers and 37 tons of cargo at a time. It quickly transforms into a flying hospital with accommodations for 66 stretchers.

Tajikistan Migration Terrorism Central Asia Tourism Transport

Tajik Citizens Now Banned From Entering Georgia

Citizens of Tajikistan have been banned from entering Georgia since the end of March, according to a report from Tajikistan's Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty affiliate Radio Ozodi. The reason for this ban has not been announced. There is a visa-free travel regime between the two countries. On April 14, Radio Ozodi's editors received a video of more than 10 Tajik citizens complaining about not being allowed into Georgia. “I came to Georgia to submit documents to the embassy, I showed all the documents, but they didn’t let me in,” one person said in the video. When asked about the reasons denying entry to citizens of Tajikistan, a Georgian border guard replied: “no explanation.” After the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall near Moscow on March 22, which several citizens of Tajikistan are accused of perpetrating, the attitude towards Tajik citizens has changed in many countries of Eurasia. Turkey recently canceled its visa-free regime with Tajikistan. In response, the Tajik government canceled the visa-free regime for Turkish citizens.

Transport Kazakhstan China Export/import Economy

Kazakh Khorgos Still a Vital Trade Link Between China and Europe

The Khorgos dry port in eastern Kazakhstan, on the border with China, has seen more than 2,000 container trains pass through it already this year, The Times of Central Asia has learned. Today 80% of all container trains taking Chinese goods to Europe pass through Khorgos. Railroad tracks in Khorgos lead to 18 countries -- and the volume of overland exports from China through Kazakhstan is growing. According to the customs service of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, more than 35,000 trains have passed through Khorgos since the China-Europe rail route was launched in 2016. About 20 railroad trains pass through there every day. The operator of the Khorgos checkpoint control center, Ma Xiaogang, commented: "Thanks to Kazakh-Chinese interdepartmental meetings and agreements, we coordinate actions among ourselves. We have established ties with Kazakhstani railroad companies. We have simplified customs clearance procedures. In addition, it has become possible to increase the volume of freight traffic." To simplify customs procedures and increase throughput, all dry port services have switched to 24-hour operations. The clearance procedure for one train has been reduced by 30 minutes. Smart technologies have also been applied in the logistics sector. According to the Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan, China is one of the country's three main trade partners. Trade turnover between the countries increased by 30% and reached $31.4 billion in 2023. China increased its exports of cars (by fourfold), computers and laptops (by 1.8x), as well as plastics and plastic products (+8.4%). In turn, Kazakhstan increased exports of oil (+7.5%), oil & gas (+15.5%), uranium (+42.7%), ferroalloys (+6.7%), ores and concentrates (+30.5%), and oilseeds (up 1.5 times).

Russia Transport Migration

Kyrgyz Taxi Drivers to Continue Working in Russia

Kyrgyz officials attended a meeting in Moscow and persuaded Russian lawmakers to withdraw a draft document that would ban Kyrgyz citizens from working as taxi drivers. Following the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall near Moscow on March 22, Russian State Duma representatives prepared a bill to ban foreigners from working in the passenger transport industry using their home countries' driver's licenses. The unprecedented decision came against the background of an acute shortage of taxi drivers and public transport workers. The capital region alone lacks 80,000 drivers. In an interview with Kyrgyz state media, Jogorku Kenesh (Supreme Council) representative Marlen Mamataliyev said the parliamentary delegation held a number of talks with members of various Russian State Duma factions. At one such meeting, Kyrgyz representatives presented their arguments to their Russian counterparts to have the bill withdrawn before the committee's discussions. "We explained that Kyrgyzstan has tightened the issuing of driving licenses and, even, the president's niece was able to get a driving license only on the fifth attempt. We also suggested exchanging databases of drivers. This would allow Russian law enforcement agencies to track the authenticity of driver's licenses," Mamataliyev said. According to him, Russian colleagues listened to them and put the bill on hold. After arriving in Kyrgyzstan, the deputies instructed the Interior Ministry to speed up the creation of a unified database of driver's licenses and give Russian law enforcement agencies access to it. However, one of the authors of the bill, Duma deputy Yaroslav Nilov, told the media that no one had contacted him. "I am the author of this bill and no one has held any negotiations with me... I believe that the issue of safety should be a priority for our country, including this driving with a national driving license," he said. The Russian MP believes that if Kyrgyz citizens work in freight or passenger transport, they should have Russian-style driver's licenses like citizens of other countries. The exception is citizens of Belarus, another Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) state, alongside Kyrgyzstan. Nilov admitted the possibility of a simplified procedure for issuing Russian driver's licenses to citizens of Kyrgyzstan, but not its complete cancellation. Citizens of the EAEU can drive cars in member states using their domestic driver's license. However, not all countries allow such drivers to get a job. According to official data, about a million Kyrgyz citizens live in Russia today, and many of them continue to work in taxi transportation and municipal public transport using Kyrgyz driving licenses.