Tehran, May 31 (MRUD NEWS)—Following last preparatory meeting in March 2023 for 17th Iran-Turkmenistan Joint Economic Commission which is to be held next month in Turkmenistan, Iran Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Mehrdad Bazrpash, met with the Director General for Transport and Communications under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan in Tehran to promote mutual transport ties in different modes.
Pointing to the shared transport interests, the Iranian Minister emphasized on activation of the 'Ashgabat agreement' for increased transit in the region which its operational and implementation phase can be discussed during upcoming Joint Economic Commission by the member countries.
The two sides decided to exchange comprehensive transport roadmap within next two weeks in order to be prepared for final agreement in the near future.
Currently, 600 rail wagons transit to Turkmenistan through Sarakhs and Inche Boroun Borders per day.
For the maritime transport, as the two countries have vast sea borders, Bazrpash called for expanding maritime services requested by the Islamic Republic of Iran including facilitation of mooring of commercial ships in Turkmenbashi Port and promoting maritime search and rescue for vessels under the Iranian flag.
Bazrpash also called for the greater participation of Turkmenistan in completing the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), especially in the south of Iran and in the Persian Gulf. The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to welcome Turkmen investors in the northern and southern ports of Iran, he said.
Expanding transport ties with Turkmenistan particularly through the multimodal transport agreement and comprehensive transport roadmap is part of Iran's policy for development of relations with its neighboring countries.
The 'Ashgabat agreement' is a multimodal transport agreement signed by the governments of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Pakistan, India and Oman to create an international transport and transit corridor facilitating freight transit between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.