Today, a high-level meeting dedicated to the launch of the Trans-Caspian Coordination Platform for Transport Crossings was held at the "Arçabil" hotel in the capital.

The event was attended by EU Commissioner for International Cooperation Jutta Urpilainen, Advisor to the Director-General of the European Commission for International Cooperation Henrik Holloway, as well as representatives of relevant ministries from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the World Bank.

The expansion of international cooperation in the transport and communication sector is one of the main directions of state policy, successfully implemented by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov based on the initiatives of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

As noted during the meeting, the creation of a coordination platform between the European Union and Central Asia will turn the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor into a more stable and faster route connecting Europe and Central Asia.

Turkmenistan puts forward effective initiatives aimed at developing broad international cooperation and takes concrete actions to implement them. Our country is becoming a center for various events to strengthen interaction in this area. Today's high-level meeting on the occasion of the launch of the Trans-Caspian Coordination Platform for Transport Crossings is a vivid confirmation of this. This international event, dedicated to diversifying transit cooperation between Europe and Central Asia, serves as an effective platform for promoting regional and interregional ties, discussing issues of mutual interest, establishing productive relationships, and getting acquainted with global experience and opportunities for developing this sector.

Thanks to its advantageous geographical location, Turkmenistan, located at the junction of Central Asia and Europe, approaches the expansion of transport and logistics services very responsibly. The material and technical base of the national transport structure is being modernized, and in this regard, the throughput capacity of international transit is constantly increasing.

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov's initiatives to create international transport infrastructure receive broad support from the global community. In this context, it is worth noting our country's active cooperation with the United Nations.

As is known, on May 16, 2023, at the 70th plenary meeting of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, at the initiative of Turkmenistan, with the unanimous support of UN member states, a resolution was adopted declaring November 26 as World Sustainable Transport Day.

It is important to note that at the proposal of Turkmenistan, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted relevant resolutions in 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2021, aimed at giving a qualitatively new impetus to cooperation in the transport sector.

Turkmenistan advocates close interaction with specialized UN structures, primarily with the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Such constructive partnership corresponds to the logic of modern development of Central Asia, a region with colossal natural resources and advantageous location at the crossroads of the main routes of the Eurasian space.

As noted in the speeches of foreign representatives, the expansion of specialized infrastructure and the strengthening of transport connectivity play a decisive role in the economic growth of the countries in the region. The new coordination platform is designed to enhance the resilience of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and turn it into a multimodal route connecting Europe and Asia.

In the context of transitioning to an innovative development path, transport is considered one of the most significant factors of economic growth, which is intended to improve international trade relations, increase the efficiency of natural resource use, and develop entrepreneurship.

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor is a key transport route connecting Europe and Asia. Its development will improve economic communications and reduce the time of cargo transportation between the countries of the region.

The desire of foreign partners to increase cooperation in this area is primarily due to the scale of transformations being implemented in the domestic transport and transit system, as well as the high level of interaction with leading business circles. At the same time, favorable legal, financial, and economic conditions are being created for the fruitful activities of all interested parties in the promising Turkmen market.

The new coordination platform will stimulate investments in railway, automobile, and port infrastructure, strengthen economic ties between Europe and Central Asia, and contribute to increasing the safety and resilience of transport corridors.

Joint work within the framework of the platform also involves the active introduction of technological innovations in the transport sector.

In conclusion, confidence was expressed that cooperation within the framework of the coordination platform will contribute to the further development of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and will allow coordinating efforts in the implementation of mutually beneficial projects.