Today, the II International Conference and Exhibition «International Transport and Transit Corridors: Interconnection and Development - 2023» began its work in the capital, the venue of which was the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the country.

More than 400 foreign delegates from 40 countries take part in the forum, organized by the Transport and Communications Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan together with the «Turkmen Forum» ES. Among them are employees of public and private specialized structures, experts, investors, representatives of international organizations and financial institutions - the UN, the OSCE, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and diplomatic missions accredited in Turkmenistan, as well as domestic and foreign media.

Among the delegates are representatives of international transport and forwarding companies - «Vitol», «Meno Logistics», «Boeing», «Dragon Oil», «Fly Dubai», «Airbus», «Cargo Lux», «Lufthansa Consulting»; logistics organizations – International Air Transport Association (IATA), International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), International Road Transport Union (IRU), Organization for Cooperation between Railways (OCBR), USAID Program in Central Asia, International Transport Forum (ITF), USAID Central Asia , Representative offices of the Royal Institute of Logistics and Transport in Central Asia and many others.

The events were also attended by members of the Government, heads and representatives of a number of ministries and departments, logistics companies, students, etc. The main goal of the conference and exhibition, held in a hybrid format, is to expand the potential of the countries of the region to facilitate trade, the opportunities of free industrial zones, the activities of national transport enterprises in international communications, as well as strengthening cooperation between national structures and international organizations specializing in the transport and logistics sector .

The modernization of the domestic transport and logistics infrastructure opens up broad horizons in maintaining sustainable development and security in the Eurasian space, which is of particular importance in the revival in a new format of the Great Silk Road, which has connected countries and peoples for centuries.

A vivid confirmation of this is the numerous stands of the agencies «Türkmenawtoulaglary», «Türkmendemirýollary», «Türkmendeňizderýaýollary», «Türkmenhowaýollary», «Türkmenaragatnaşyk», presented at the exhibition, reflecting the formation of a highly efficient transport infrastructure designed to meet the demand for the transportation of goods and passengers, as well as the competitiveness of transport works and services of domestic carriers in the domestic and foreign markets, creating conditions for increasing investment activity.

The potential of the Motherland in the logistics of transit flows is especially impressive given the location here of the main section of the North-South transport corridor - the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran transnational steel highway, the modern railway and road bridges across the Amu Darya, the Kerki-Ymamnazar-Akina railway - the first stage of the Asian International Transport corridor.

The construction of a highway and a bridge across Garabogaz along the route Turkmenbashy-Garabogaz-Kazakhstan will significantly increase the transport and trade partnership and increase the freight turnover between the two states.

The construction of high-speed highways Ashgabat-Turkmenabat and Ashgabat-Turkmenbashy is being carried out at a high pace. These transport projects will unite the regions of the country with short routes, ensure reliable and uninterrupted operation of the automotive sector.

The commissioning of modern passenger terminals in Balkanabat, Dashoguz, Turkmenabat and Mary is of great importance on a national and regional scale.

The review was also attended by logistics companies - ES «Türkmen halkara awtoulagly daşaýjylarynyň assosiasiýasy», OJSC «Türkmenistanyň Ulag-logistika merkezi», CJSC «Deňiz söwda floty», whose activities are of particular importance in the light of the implementation of large-scale international projects in this area. Many exhibitors presented their capabilities in the transportation of oversized cargo using new technologies.

There are also pavilions of the international air harbors of the capital and administrative centers of the country's velayats, the «Türkmenhowaýollary» agency, «Türkmenistan Airlines» OJSC, as well as representative offices of a number of foreign airlines.

Within the framework of the exhibition, in a specialized pavilion equipped with advertising equipment, bilateral meetings of foreign experts with the leadership of domestic transport and communication agencies were held.

Thus, during the negotiations between representatives of the «Türkmenawtoulaglary» agency and the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Romania, issues of mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of transport and logistics in the post-pandemic period were discussed, as well as new vectors of transport and transit cooperation were outlined.

During the large-scale event, meetings were held between government departments specializing in the field of maritime, air and land transport, with the relevant specialized structures from the UAE, Russia, Tajikistan, Italy, Spain, Turkey, India and other countries, during which experts exchanged experience in the field development of transport and logistics, the directions of further mutually beneficial partnership were determined.

A meeting was also organized by the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan with students of domestic universities, where detailed information was provided on the activities of the UN and its structures in our country.

In the afternoon, the international conference «International transport and transit corridors: interconnection and development - 2023» began its work, at which Turkmen and foreign scientists, experts and businessmen made their proposals, including through a digital system.

The objectives of the forum are the exchange of knowledge, experience, innovative approaches and solutions for the development of transport and logistics, ensuring sustainability and stability, identifying opportunities to improve the maintenance of transport infrastructure, expanding international support in the field of transport and strengthening cooperation in this area.

As noted, connectivity is critical to the future of all nations in terms of lowering the cost of trade and improving access to global markets. At the same time, the emphasis was placed on the critical importance of transport in promoting integration processes, strengthening rural-urban contacts and enhancing development sustainability, as well as achieving the SDGs.

Then the guests of the forum made presentations, who noted the special importance of this conference, since in the context of the transition to an innovative development path, transport is considered one of the most significant factors in economic growth, which is designed to improve international trade relations, increase the efficiency of using natural resources, and develop entrepreneurship.

The forum delegates emphasized that the basis of the transport strategy of our country is the idea of reviving the Great Silk Road, initiated by the head of the Turkmen state, which had passed through the territory of Central Asia for many centuries.

The speeches of the delegates were accompanied by presentations, which made it possible to get acquainted in detail with the proposals for diversifying partnerships in the transport sector.

Tomorrow the International Conference will continue its work in the format of a specialized session, the agenda of which will include issues related to such important areas as the development of cooperation in trade and industry, the role of public-private partnerships in the development of transport and logistics infrastructure, as well as innovative technologies, science and education in the field of transport, building up international cooperation in these areas.

Within the framework of the forum, it is planned to hold an online round table on the topic «Creating a modern logistics system and simplifying the transportation process between the states of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea», as well as launching the project «CASCA+ multimodal transport route towards the countries of the Asia-Pacific region – China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey-Europe».

It is also envisaged to sign documents designed to promote the strengthening of productive cooperation, the development of its effective forms, the activation of positive regional and global processes in the name of general well-being and progressive development.

At the end of the conference and exhibition, their participants are provided with sightseeing tours along the autobahn - the Ashgabat-Turkmenabat high-speed highway and the International Airport of the capital. For foreign guests, a trip to the city of Turkmenbashi is planned, during which the delegates will be able to visit the International Seaport and visually get acquainted with the huge transport and transit potential of this ultra-modern facility that meets the high requirements of international standards.