Uzbekistan, Tashkent, April 22 /Trend, D.Azizov/
A five-sided agreement to establish a new international transport corridor Uzbekistan - Turkmenistan - Iran - Oman - Qatar, which connects Central Asia with the ports of the Persian Gulf, will be signed at the end of April, the first vice prime minister of Uzbekistan Rustam Azimov said on Friday.
The initiative to build the corridor was voiced by Uzbek President Islam Karimov during his visit to Ashgabat in October last year and was supported by the delegations of the participating countries.
The president also proposed creating a draft of the transport corridor linking Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Oman, Qatar and other Persian Gulf countries in Ashgabat.
A ministerial meeting on cooperation in Asia held in November last year ended in the signing of a document on the corridor. Uzbekistan was represented at the meeting by Deputy Prime Minister Elyor Ganiev and Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov.
There are plans that the corridor will pass through the territory of Iran and connect the Central Asian countries with the Iranian ports in Persian and Oman Gulfs.
Creation of new transport links will increase the trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Iran up to $1 billion, the Iranian ambassador to Uzbekistan Mohammad Keshavarzzade told reporters on earlier.
The Iranian diplomat emphasized the importance of this transport corridor, which will create a way for Central Asia, as well as Russia and China to the Persian and Oman Gulfs. In this case, Iran, with its huge oil reserves, could carry out its delivery to Uzbekistan and other countries in the region.