Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia have agreed to establish an alternative cargo route that bypasses Kazakhstan, reports Eurasiatoday.ru.
The new multimodal corridor runs through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, then connects to the port of Turkmenbashi on the Caspian Sea. From there, goods are transported by sea to Russian ports in Astrakhan and Makhachkala.
This route is designed to avoid delays at Kazakhstan’s borders and provide more stable logistics for Kyrgyz exporters. Kyrgyzstan’s key exports—textiles and agricultural products—are vital for trade within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
Plans are also underway to expand ferry services across the Caspian and to build the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway, which would further integrate the corridor into global transport networks.
Negotiations on this initiative began in 2022, and by July 2023, media outlets reported that Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia had agreed to create the so-called "Southern Transport Corridor." In the fall of 2023, the countries signed a memorandum of understanding in Tashkent, following a transport forum under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Developing new transport corridors in Central Asia aligns with the long-term strategic interests of both Russia and the region’s capitals, as the complex international environment is expected to persist.
This new route is set to create additional opportunities for expanding regional transport links between Central Asia and Russia.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
May 30, 2022