On April 19, the XXXVIII meeting of the Conference of Heads and Responsible Representatives of Railway Transport Enterprises of the member States of the Organization for Cooperation of Railways (OSJD), which was held in the Turkmen capital from April 15 to 19, concluded its work at the Yyldyz Hotel.

As reported, the representative forum was attended by heads and specialists of relevant departments, railway administrations from more than 20 OSJD member countries, including Turkmenistan.

Within five days, as part of the agenda, the meeting participants discussed and approved the results of the activities for 2023 of the OSJD Commissions on Freight and Passenger Transportation, infrastructure and rolling stock, coding and computer science, as well as OSJD Permanent Working Groups on financial and Settlement issues, the Organization's work plans for the future, etc.

The development of the railway industry, taking into account the exceptional importance of this type of transport, which bears the main burden of mass transportation over long distances, is one of the priorities of our state, which relies on the steady strengthening and expansion of trade and economic ties with all interested partner countries. This is directly facilitated by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov's policy of broad international cooperation in the transport sector, taking into account the favorable geographical location of the country.

In accordance with the Program for the Development of Transport Diplomacy of Turkmenistan for 2022-2025, strategic directions are envisaged for the comprehensive modernization of the material and technical base of all types of transport, the formation of modern specialized infrastructure, as well as for further strengthening Turkmenistan's position as a regional center of international transport and transit corridors.

In this regard, support was expressed for the initiatives of the President of Turkmenistan, who is pursuing a constructive policy, the basis of which was laid by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Hero-Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

It was noted that our country is a party to more than a dozen international conventions on transport, the initiator of the First Global Conference on Sustainable Transport. At the suggestion of Turkmenistan, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolutions in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2021 in order to develop multilateral transport cooperation. Last year, the Community of Nations adopted a Resolution declaring November 26 as World Sustainable Transport Day.

Turkmenistan, having become a member of the OSJD in 1994, is an important link in the international transit of goods, thanks to the developing railway infrastructure at the national level and a coordinated transport policy across the region. Our country has also established cooperation on the OSJD platform in the field of information technology, scientific, technical and environmental issues.

In this regard, it was noted that the Organization welcomes and fully supports Turkmenistan's efforts in developing the national transport infrastructure, which significantly increases the transit potential of the railway corridor network in the center of the Asian continent.

Among the most important topics of discussion are issues of expanding bilateral cooperation within the Organization, including the development of a contractual and legal framework for cooperation. The parties considered the possibilities of holding the main meetings of the OSJD, as well as realizing the potential of freight and passenger transportation of our country along existing and newly opened routes, in particular, along the Kazakhstan–Turkmenistan–Iran transnational railway.

As you know, in ancient times, Turkmenistan, through whose territory the most important trade routes of the region ran, was called the "crossroads of seven roads". In a new historical era, our state is striving to realize its potential in the transport sector in order to establish mutually beneficial trade and economic ties that meet the interests of progress and prosperity of all countries and peoples of the Eurasian continent. The national railway network, which has significantly expanded in recent years, has now entered a new stage, giving a powerful impetus to the dynamic development of the country's regions.

It was noted that higher and higher requirements are being imposed on the railway industry, which affect various fields of activity, such as improving business efficiency, introducing modern management principles, consistently updating the resource base and rational use of rolling stock, ensuring a high level of service and safety for passengers, and staff working conditions.

As it was emphasized, the development of modern transport corridors of the country in the East–West and North–South directions remains one of the priority goals, the success of which is largely determined by the Ashgabat–Turkmenabat high-speed highway with a length of 600 kilometers.

In this context, the foreign participants of the forum stated that the laying of the autobahn is another evidence of the revival of the ancient Great Silk Road in a modern format, expressing gratitude to the head of Turkmenistan for the opportunity to participate in the opening ceremony of the Tejen–Mary section of the Ashgabat-Turkmenabat autobahn.

As you know, the Ashgabat Forum is also marked by the 30th anniversary of the membership of the agency "Turkmendemiryollary" in the Organization of Railway Cooperation. In honor of the significant date, the Chairman of the OSZhD Committee M.Antonovich presented the agency "Türkmendemirýollary" with a special commemorative sign.

During the meeting, the delegates summed up the results of the work of the task forces for 2023 in such areas as infrastructure and structure of railway traffic, the procedure for mutual settlements between railways, the debt settlement mechanism, etc.

On the sidelines of the forum, meetings were held between the railway departments of our country and the OSZhD member states, a number of bilateral documents and a Protocol were signed aimed at strengthening effective cooperation between the parties in the name of universal well-being and progressive development.

Also, as a result of the meeting, the Ashgabat Declaration was adopted, aimed at strengthening fruitful partnership and trusting relations with the OSJD member countries in the region.

The participants expressed their sincere gratitude to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov for the hospitality provided on Turkmen soil, the creation of favorable conditions for the constructive and business work of the forum, and were unanimous in the opinion that the current meeting would further strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation.

The participants of the XXXVIII meeting of the Conference of Heads and Responsible Representatives of Railway Transport Enterprises of the Member States of the Organization for Cooperation of Railways adopted an Appeal to the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, in which they expressed gratitude for the hospitality and the high level of organization of the event.