Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway has historical importance

The upcoming completion of constructing the transnational railway Uzen-Gyzylgaya-Bereket-Etrek- Gorgan connecting Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran is a historic event in the life of the three neighboring countries, Kazakh Chargé d’Affaires to Turkmenistan Mukhamedkali Bakbergenov said today.

The appeal is timed to the 20th anniversary of establishing the diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

It is stressed that the transnational North – South corridor will give a powerful impetus to the further economic development of the three countries.

“The new railway will optimize the route of transporting oil products from the Caspian Sea to the Middle East and reduce it by more than 600 km and transportation period – for 2 days compared to the current route,” the message says.

The countries signed an intergovernmental agreement on the international railway border crossing point at the Kazakh-Turkmen border in Ashgabat in May 2012.

The “North-South” project will open the way for the European and Asian countries to the Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. A similar opportunity will appear for the transit of goods from the countries of South and South-East Asia, the Indian Ocean to the Northern and Eastern Europe through Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Russia.

According to the preliminary forecasts, 3.5 million tons of cargo a year will be initially transported. The volumes will increase to 10-12 million tons in the future. The intergovernmental agreement on the “North-South” project between Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran was signed in 2007.