Negotiations were held in Afghanistan between the Chairman of the Turkmen Agency "Turkmendemiryollary" Azat Atamuradov and the head of the Afghan province of Herat, Nur Mohammad Islamjar. They discussed the construction of a warehouse complex and the first phase of the Turgundi-Sanabar section of the Turgundi-Herat railway, reports Orient.tm.
During this visit, the Turkmen delegation familiarized themselves with local conditions for implementing the planned projects for the neighboring country in the railway sector.
Nur Mohammad Islamjar noted the relevance of these projects, which will contribute to Afghanistan's economic stability and stimulate the industrial development of the Herat province.
The Turkmen delegation also held talks with the Deputy Minister of Public Works for Railway Transport of Afghanistan, the head of the Afghan Railway Administration Bakht-ur Rahman Sharafat. They discussed railway communications between the two countries, the coordination of the Memorandum of Understanding for the construction of the warehouse complex, or "dry port," which Turkmen railway workers plan to build at the Turgundi station, a joint work plan for the first phase of the Turgundi-Sanabar section (22 km) of the Turgundi-Herat railway, and other issues.
Subsequent negotiations were held with the leadership of the Afghan Railway Administration, with the participation of the Deputy Head of the Afghan Cabinet of Ministers for Economic Affairs. The parties emphasized that these joint projects would reduce time and increase the volume of freight traffic between the two countries.
The Afghan side noted that the allocation of land for the warehouse complex at the Turgundi station had been agreed upon with local authorities and farmers, and topographic maps of this area would be handed over to the Turkmen side. The scheme for the return of investments in these projects was also agreed upon.
The Afghan side agreed with the proposed Turkmen joint work plan for the construction of the Turgundi-Sanabar section as part of the Turgundi-Herat railway. An agreement was reached to sign the Memorandum and joint plan in Ashgabat in the second half of August.
An agreement was reached to create a working group to increase freight traffic between the two countries. The Afghan side stated that it would conduct a repeated analysis of tariffs and called for the facilitation of transporting its goods through the international Lapis Lazuli corridor (Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey).
The head of the Afghan Railway Administration expressed gratitude to his Turkmen colleagues for their invaluable assistance in developing the transport sector in his country and working on projects that help it integrate into regional and international trade chains, as well as for maintaining a high level of freight traffic between our two neighboring countries.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
August 1, 2024