Azernews.Az

Turkmenistan recorded high figures in the enterprises of car, railway and air transport during the first seven months of 2013.

The Turkmen government reported that the dynamics of growth in freight and passenger traffic during the first seven months of 2012 amounted to around 121.5 and 103.5 percent for the Railway Transport Ministry, 103,8 and 102.6 percent - Car Transport Ministry, 100.4 and 133.3 percent - State Service of Maritime and River Transport, and the growh dynamics of rendered services in Turkmen Airlines amounted to 109 and 104.4 percent.

Turkmenistan borders with Kazakhstan, Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan on land and with Azerbaijan, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Iran in Caspian Sea. Regional transport projects have been activated in recent years; large-scale reconstruction of seaport in Turkmenbashi is being prepared, highways are being modernized.

In May 2013 the project for merging the railroads on Kazakh-Turkmen border was launched. This "North-South" project is implemented by two neighboring countries jointly with Iran. A trilateral intergovernmental agreement was signed in 2007. The merger of Iranian and Turkmen railway networks is expected till late 2013.

This regional project will connect the European and Asian countries with the Central Asia and to Persian Gulf. The similar opportunity will be given for transporting cargo from Southern and South-Eastern Asian countries and from the shores of Indian Ocean to the countries of Northern and Eastern Europe through Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Russia. Moreover, the construction of another transport highway - "Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan" - has been launched. China, Kyrgyzstan and Iran may join it.