Transport - The Times Of Central Asia

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Afghanistan, China, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan to build new railway

KABUL (TCA) — Representatives of Afghanistan, China, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan will meet within the next two months in Iran to discuss progress of a new railway project that will directly connect the five countries, Afghanistan Railway Authority said on September 4, TOLOnews agency reported. The railway authority said the meeting will be convened so that concerned parties can discuss problems and construction progress. According to the authority, technical and economic assessments of the first and second phases of the railway line in Afghanistan have been completed and that construction work will start soon. The Afghan railway officials said that 50 percent of the total railway line will run through Afghanistan. “A big part, almost 50 percent of the route, goes through Afghanistan. In fact, Afghanistan is the closest route to connect China and other countries to Iran’s ports,” the head of Afghanistan’s Railway Authority, Abdul Bari Sediqi said. Meanwhile, the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) said once the railway line has been built, transit costs between the participating countries will decrease significantly. “Two things are important in goods transit: the first one is time and the second one is cost. Less money and time will be spent if transportation is done by rail,” ACCI spokesman, Seyam Pesarlay, said. The five-nation railway project that includes Iran, China, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan will eventually be 2,200 km long. In Afghanistan the railway will run from Kunduz to Herat province.

Road Central Asia Transport Tajikistan

CAREC countries advance regional road safety strategy for Central Asia

DUSHANBE (TCA) — Lead engineers and senior transport officials from member countries of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program committed to accelerate the implementation of road safety initiatives at a meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on 30-31 August, ADB’s country office in Dushanbe said. Continue reading

China Belt and Road Initiative Railway Economy Transport Tajikistan

Tajikistan, China to launch cross-border railway, road and natural-gas pipeline projects

DUSHANBE (TCA) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on August 31 in Beijing held talks with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, who is paying a state visit to China from August 30 to September 1. The leaders agreed to establish comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Applauding Tajikistan's support for the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi said both sides should synergize the Belt and Road Initiative with Tajikistan's national development strategy for the period until 2030, Xinhua reported. The two countries should cooperate more in transportation, energy, ports and network infrastructure development to improve all-round connectivity, Xi said. The Chinese president suggested both sides break new ground in agriculture, industrial capacity cooperation and scientific innovation. Xi encouraged Tajikistan to establish links with Chinese financial institutions, the Silk Road Fund and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, saying China is willing to work with Tajikistan to facilitate trade and investment. As countries with great ancient civilization, China and Tajikistan can have more exchanges in culture, education and youth, according to Xi. Rahmon described China as a "good neighbor, partner and brother" and praised the close cooperation in politics, culture, trade and investment. Tajikistan backs the Silk Road Economic Belt and will work with China to expand partnership in finance, agriculture, water resources, energy and mining, Rahmon said.He said Tajikistan looks forward to more coordination with China in regional and international affairs and more cooperation in law enforcement and security. After the talks, the two heads of state signed a joint statement on establishing comprehensive strategic partnership. China and Tajikistan agreed to jointly launch cross-border railway, road and natural gas pipeline projects, and explore cooperation in wind and solar energy, according to the joint statement. Both sides will better share intelligence to fight the "evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism, as well as cyber crime, drug smuggling and transnational organized crime, the joint statement said. The two presidents also witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation documents, including a bilateral cooperation plan, and agreements on science, agriculture, energy, infrastructure, human resources and media.

Turkmenistan Transport Transit Caucasus Caspian

Turkmenistan, Georgia to cooperate in building Caspian-Black Sea transit corridor

ASHGABAT (TCA) — Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat on August 30 hosted a meeting of the Joint Turkmen-Georgian Intergovernmental Commission for economic cooperation, the State News Agency of Turkmenistan reported. On the same day, Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili held a meeting to discuss bilateral cooperation. At the Commission’s meeting, transport sector was named to be one of the Turkmen-Georgian relations’ strategic vectors. The South Caucasus is part of the Caspian-Black Sea transport-transit corridor, the use of which enables to ensure broad interregional integration with the countries of Europe and the Middle East. The sides noted the importance of creating the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey transit corridor. At the meeting between Turkmenistan's President and Georgian Prime Minister, it was said that Georgia supports Turkmenistan's initiatives to ensure a reliable and stable transit of energy and create international transport and communication infrastructure, Turkmenistan's state television reported. The sides also stressed that the geographically favorable location and common interests create opportunities for creating transit corridors involving the transportation capacities of the Caspian and Black Sea regions. These transport corridors will create wider opportunities for interregional integration, access to world markets and intensification of trade and economic ties in the Eurasian area. Turkmenistan has long been working on organizing natural gas deliveries from the Caspian Sea region to Europe, which has been supported by Turkey and the European Union, Sputnik news agency reported. Turkmenistan, alongside Azerbaijan, stands in favor of building a trans-Caspian subsea pipeline with the consent of the states whose territories the new pipeline will cross, including Georgia.

Railway Transit Kazakhstan Transport

Kazakhstan, Japan to cooperate in rail transportation from Asia to Europe

ASTANA (TCA) — Kazakhstan’s national railways company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), its subsidiary KTZ Express, and Japan’s Nippon Express Co., Ltd have signed memorandums of cooperation for the organization of container transportation between countries of the Eurasian continent through the territory of Kazakhstan. Continue reading

Turkmenistan Transport Economy Azerbaijan Trade Caspian

Azerbaijan is Turkmenistan’s major partner in Caspian region — Turkmen president

ASHGABAT (TCA) — Azerbaijan is Turkmenistan’s main neighbor in the Caspian Sea region, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov said during his official visit to Baku on August 8, the State News Agency of Turkmenistan reports. During his talks with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, Berdymukhammedov spoke about transport initiatives in the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey and Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Turkey formats. Turkmenistan also welcomes the project of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars transport corridor that will connect the railway networks of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. This project that will promote the development of trade in the region is now close to completion. Berdymukhammedov noted that in January-June 2017, trade between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan had increased up to 40 percent as compared to the same period of 2016, saying that the existing mutual opportunities had not been used in full and the current level of the trade partnership does not reflect the real potential of the two countries. Berdymukhammedov emphasized that Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan need to launch large-scale projects of industrial cooperation, interaction in the services and agricultural sectors. The President of Turkmenistan also suggested intensifying the partnership between the business circles of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, by opening of Trade Houses in Baku and Ashgabat and establishing a Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan Business Council.