Iran: Turkmenistan Welcomes Development of North-South, East-West Transport Corridors

Bazrpash made the remarks during the inaugural ceremony of the Iran-Turkmenistan Economic Forum at the 15th Exclusive Exhibition of Iran in Ashgabat.

“Iran and Turkmenistan which are important players in the international North-South and East-West transport corridors have agreed to cooperate with each other in the development of the corridors,” he added.

“I am very pleased for participation in this meeting, which is taking place with the participation of private sector companies of the two sides and with the serious determination of the senior officials of the two countries to broaden bilateral trade and economic relations,” Bazrpash said.

The companies attending the specialized exhibition of Iran in Ashgabat are among prestigious companies at the national and international levels, he said, adding that the services which are presented by these companies are competitive with the leading international firms.

The East-West transport corridor has played an important role between the two countries on the Silk Road, Bazrpash noted, adding that border marketplaces also have a leading role in the development of economic ties between the two countries.

He underlined that Turkmenistan enjoys access to Iran’s Chabahar Port through a railroad that provides the Central Asian country with an access to the high seas.

Earlier, Bazrpash had underlined Turkmenistan's "special status" in advancing the Iran-Rah Initiative, which was put forward by Iran to allow its neighbors and other regional states to use the country as a transit route and logistics base.

Bazrpash made the remarks in a meeting with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow in Ashgabat, during which both sides also discussed bilateral relations.

The Iranian minister described Turkmenistan as Iran's strategic partner, noting that the country was the gateway to Central Asia and provided access to the East-West transport corridor, which will connect Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq and Turkiye, as well as the International North-South Transport Corridor, a transport route linking South Asia to Northern Europe.

Bazrpash urged the two countries to take an important step toward greater synergy in their partnership and bilateral relations.

He also highlighted the necessity to eliminate transportation taxes between the two countries, and called for increasing exchange of technical and engineering services, particularly in the fields of transportation and energy.

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