BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8
By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend:
Turkmenistan participated in the discussion aimed at the implementation of Lapis-Lazuli Transit, Trade & Transport Route (Lapis Lazuli Corridor), Trend reports with reference to “Zolotoy Vek” (Golden Age) newspaper.
The agenda of the meeting included issues of optimizing the transport and logistics process, creating equal economic and financial conditions for all participants, and introducing a unified pricing policy for cargo transportation on the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan route and in the opposite direction.
The issue of appointing a single operator from each party and setting a pass-through tariff rate was also discussed, the report says. The participants also agreed on steps to increase cargo traffic along the Lapis Lazuli Corridor.
Besides Turkmenistan, the representative of Azerbaijan and Afghanistan’s transport sphere also participated in an online meeting. The Turkmen side was represented by its Transport and Logistics Center.
As earlier the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia told Trend, the implementation of Lapis Lazuli Corridor shall give extra impetus to the development of freight transportation between Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Turkmenistan and through their territories.
The implementation of the project will contribute to boosting the trade and economic relations between the countries, added earlier Georgian ministry.
The agreement on transit and transport cooperation Lapis Lazuli between Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Turkmenistan was signed on November 15, 2017, at the ministerial meeting of the 7th Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan in Ashgabat.
According to the Lapis Lazuli project, railways and highways should connect the Afghan Turgundi city of Herat province with Ashgabat, then with the Caspian Turkmenbashi port. The corridor will be extended to Baku, then through Tbilisi to Ankara with links to Poti and Batumi cities, then from Ankara to Istanbul. The project budget, which aims to facilitate transit logistics and simplify customs procedures, is estimated at $2 billion.
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