Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Oct. 6 / Trend H. Hasanov /
The participants of "Silk Road 2010" motor rally have arrived in Ashgabat, Altyn Asyr national TV channel said. The route of the rally includes Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan.
The rally set off from Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 22 and will end in Istanbul on Oct. 24. Altyn Asyr said that the rally was first held under the auspices of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and supported by the International Road Transport Union (IRU). Its aim is to explore the possibility of expanding transit traffic in the region.
Several cars travelled from Tehran to Islamabad. Passing through Mashhad, Iran, they reached Ashgabat to be greeted triumphantly with folk music.
The cars will now proceed along the Mari-Turkmenabat-Imamnazar route. Later they will cross the Turkmen-Afghan border and continue their journey along the roads of Afghanistan and Tajikistan.