The 2nd meeting of the Transport Coordination Committee of the Organization of Turkic States is taking place on 25-26 April in Budapest, Hungary. The meeting of delegates focused on measures to simplify transport and transit operations along the Trans-Caspian International East-West Corridor (Middle/Middle Corridor"), digitalization of transportation procedures, and improvement of multimodal connectivity.
Chairman of the Agency “Turkmendenizderyollary” (“Turkmen Sea and River Routes”) Batyr Annaev took part in the meeting. In his speech, he drew the attention of his colleagues to the systemic transformations in the transport and logistics sphere of Turkmenistan in order to realize the geographical advantages of the country in the formation of the transit framework of Eurasian supply chains.
A special role here belongs to the Turkmenbashi International Sea Port, 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 can handle the whole range of goods in demand in the region. Regular cargo transportation is carried out along the Turkmenbashi - Caspian ports route.
Against the background of geopolitical events in the world and volatility in the market of export goods traditional for Central Asia (fertilizers, chemicals and oil products), there is a change in cargo transportation routes.
The most popular routes for goods from Asia and China are the Northern (via Russia), Middle (Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Europe) and Southern (via the Red Sea). In early 2024, political developments in the Red Sea and other regions led to a sharp increase in the price of cargo transportation to Europe. In this regard, the importance of the Middle Corridor between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea is growing. Batyr Annayev emphasized that uniting efforts of the participating countries in the project to develop it opens wide prospects.
He noted that Turkmenistan is taking active steps to increase the utilization of the Turkmenbashi port. Various measures are being considered to stimulate transit, including the provision of privileges on port fees and discounts on maritime transportation. Regular ferries run between Turkmenbashi and Baku, and dry cargo ships perform feeder transportation. The “customs warehouse” regime in the port of Turkmenbashi allows goods to be stored duty-free 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 Turkmenbashi port will contribute to the growth of the economies of Central Asian countries and strengthen their positions in the global market, the head of the Turkmendenizderyollary Agency summarized.
In his speech, he also pointed out the capabilities of the open-type Joint Stock Company “Transport and Logistics Center of Turkmenistan” established in 2018.
The Center performs such tasks as improving the efficiency of transit transportation through the territory of Turkmenistan and developing profitable logistics solutions, cooperating with private enterprises and economic societies of China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Georgia and other states.
