The 2nd meeting of the Transport Coordination Committee of the Organization of Turkic States is taking place on April 25-26 in Budapest, Hungary. The focus of the meeting of delegates was on measures to simplify transport and transit operations along the Trans-Caspian International East-West Corridor (Middle Corridor), digitalization of transportation procedures, and improvement of multimodal connectivity.

The meeting was attended by Chairman of the Turkmendenizderyayollary Agency (Turkmen Sea and River Routes) Batyr Annaev, who in his speech focused the attention of his colleagues on systemic transformations in the transport and logistics sector of Turkmenistan in order to realize the country’s geographical advantages in the formation of the transit framework of Eurasian supply chains.

A special role here belongs to the international seaport of Turkmenbashi, which has the potential to become one of the main logistics centers of the entire Central Asian region. The Turkmenbashi port complex includes ferry, passenger, container, cargo and other terminals, as well as a shipbuilding and ship repair plant.

It plays an important role in the transit system of Central Asia, being a link in the East-West corridor. With a throughput capacity of 17 million tons per year, the port is capable of handling the full range of goods in demand in the region. Regular cargo transportation is carried out along the route Turkmenbashi - ports of the Caspian states.

Against the backdrop of geopolitical events in the world and volatility in the market for traditional Central Asian export goods (fertilizers, chemicals and petroleum products), cargo transportation routes are changing.

The most popular routes for goods from Asia and China are Northern (via Russia), Middle (Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Europe) and Southern (via the Red Sea). In early 2024, political events in the Red Sea and other regions led to a sharp rise in prices for transporting goods to Europe. In this regard, the importance of the Middle Corridor between the Caspian and Black Seas is increasing. And combining the efforts of the countries participating in the project for its development opens up broad prospects, Batyr Annaev emphasized.

He noted that Turkmenistan is taking active steps to increase the load on the port of Turkmenbashi. Various measures to stimulate transit are being considered, including the provision of benefits on port fees and discounts on maritime transport. Regular ferries run between Turkmenbashi and Baku, and dry cargo ships provide feeder transportation. The “customs warehouse” regime in the port of Turkmenbashi allows you to store goods without paying customs duties for up to 3 years. These opportunities are open to all participating countries.

The development of the Middle Corridor and stimulation of transit through the port of Turkmenbashi will contribute to the growth of the economies of Central Asian countries and strengthening of their positions in the world market, summed up the head of the Turkmendenizderyayollary agency.

In his speech, he also pointed out the possibilities of the Open Joint Stock Company “Transport and Logistics Center of Turkmenistan” (TULM) created in 2018.

The center carries out tasks such as increasing the efficiency of transit transportation through the territory of Turkmenistan and developing profitable logistics solutions, collaborating with private enterprises and business entities in China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Georgia and other countries.