Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Sept. 9 / Trend, H. Hasanov /
The high indices were reached in the road, rail and air transport facilities for the first eight months of 2013, the Turkmen government said on Monday .
According to the report, in particular, the dynamics of growth in the cargo and passenger transportation compared to the level of eight months of last year is as follows: the Ministry of Railway Transport - 119.8 and 102.9 percent, automobile - 104 and 102.6 percent, the Public Service of Maritime and River Transport - 100.4 and 172.2 percent, Turkmenistan Airlines - 109.7 percent.
According to the report, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said at a government meeting that one of the determining factors ensuring Turkmenistan's successful socio- economic development is the clear work of the transport sector.
"Currently, there are high standards for the quality and reliability of cargo and passenger transportation," the Turkmen President said. "This is also intended to promote fruitful international cooperation, effective use of transcontinental transit-transport routes through Central Asia."
Turkmenistan borders with Kazakhstan, Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan on land and with Azerbaijan, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Iran in Caspian Sea.
Regional transport projects have been activated in recent years; large-scale reconstruction of seaport in Turkmenbashi is being prepared, highways are being modernized.
In May 2013 the project for merging the railroads on Kazakh-Turkmen border was launched. This "North-South" project is implemented by two neighboring countries jointly with Iran. A trilateral intergovernmental agreement was signed in 2007.
The Iranian and Turkmen railway networks are expected to be connected till the end of the year.
This regional project will give European and Asian countries access to Central Asia and to Persian Gulf.
Similar opportunity will appear for transporting cargo from Southern and South-Eastern Asian countries and from the shores of Indian Ocean to the countries of Northern and Eastern Europe through Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Russia.
Moreover, the construction of another transport highway - "Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan" - has been launched. China, Kyrgyzstan and Iran may join it at later stages.