OREANDA-NEWS. January 14, 2010. The beginning of the new 2010 year has been marked with an important event that will facilitate the implementation of the large-scale regional and international projects initiated by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, in particular construction of the transnational transport corridors securing greater market access.

The Permanent Mission of Turkmenistan to the United Nations reported that this year on January 5 our country had been elected to the Bureau of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries. As is known, in 2003 the UN General Assembly established the Office of the High Representative specifically to ensure the implementation of the international agreements to provide support to the landlocked countries composed of 31 states of the world including the Central Asian countries. The UN member states secured their willingness to assist landlocked countries in developing and implementing the national programmes of sustainable development in the special resolution of the UN General Assembly adopted in late December 2005. The donor countries were offered to provide these countries with the subsidies or soft loans for construction of the transport corridors providing greater market access.

The Almaty Programme of Action was adopted at the International Ministerial Conference of Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and Donor Countries in August 2003. It became the first global document aimed at addressing the special needs of the landlocked countries. The Programme of Action ensures that this group of countries will receive financial and technical assistance and sets forth the specific measures and recommendations for the transit transport policy, the development of transport infrastructure and encouragement of trade.

Turkmenistan’s admitting to the new UN structure is not only logical but also well deserved. For its favourable geographical location Turkmenistan, which is called “the crossroads of seven roads of the world” from times immemorial, attaches special significance to the development of transport and communications infrastructure from the first days of independence. The large-scale projects implemented in recent years include ‘the golden link’ of the Trans-Asian railway – the Tejen-Sarakhs-Mashad railway that serves as an important transit corridor connecting the Central Asian states and Europe. A number of the other projects initiated by the Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov including the project of the North-South transport corridor successfully implemented in the epoch of new Revival, in particular construction of the railway that connecting Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Iran will be an economically sound route from Europe to South Asia to the Persian Gulf countries are aimed at fostering the integration processes. Situated on the important trade routes Turkmenistan actively develops the internal road and sea transport systems.

The other grandiose transport projects that open up the vast opportunities for cooperation with the countries in Asia and Europe will provide an access to world markets. In particular, the large-scale gas pipeline projects stipulating for the development of relevant infrastructure and construction of transport systems will give additional impetus to intensify interstate and interregional relationships.

Aiming to diversify transit of ‘blue fuel’ to world markets Turkmenistan successfully develops and implements a number of large-scale projects jointly with foreign partners. Thus, the end of 2009 was marked with launching the largest transnational pipeline in the world – the Turkmenistan-China pipeline and the beginning of the new 2010 year – with putting the second gas pipeline to Iran into operation that would allow doubling Turkmen gas exports to the neighbouring country. Furthermore, Turkmenistan actively pursuing the projects on construction of the Caspian and the Trans-Afghan gas pipelines as well as other gas pipelines that will be a breakthrough in international energy cooperation.