Uzbek President underlines need for Uzbek-Turkmen-Iranian corridor
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President Shavkat Mirziyoyev eyes cooperation in areas like developing advanced water-saving technologies and the renovation of irrigation systems, as well as the digitalization of water management processes.
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Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi in September 2022 during their meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan (AP)
In a meeting in Ashgabat with the presidents of Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedow and Emomali Rahmon, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev highlighted the role of the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran corridor for Central Asia and its regional attraction.
“The development of the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran corridor and the active use of the potential of the Trans-Caspian route provides the possibility of increasing the attractiveness of Central Asia as the transit center of the ‘East-West’ and ‘North-South’ international corridors,” Mirziyoyev said on Saturday, underlining the expansion of ties between the tripartite, in the context that “joint transparent policy, unity, and solidarity of the countries of the region lead to real results.”
According to Mirziyoyev, trade exchanges and cooperative transaction volumes, including in the fields of industries, agriculture, energy, and logistics, have skyrocketed, adding that “acceptable decisions” will be the result of a mutual understanding of bilateral and regional issues.
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Mirziyoyev called for more cooperation in areas like developing advanced water-saving technologies, the renovation of irrigation systems, and the digitalization of water management processes and infrastructure for collecting and storing flood waters.
“A close and fruitful cooperation between the countries of Central Asia has been established in the energy sector, including in the field of export and transit of energy resources,” he commented, proposing the joint creation of better conditions for international transportation, acceleration of digitalization, and efficiency of checkpoints.
The significance of planning efforts and mutual support of the initiatives proposed by regional countries in the international arena under the framework of the UN was stressed, as the Uzbek President announced plans to maintain the support of peace-ensuring projects aimed at prosperity in Central Asia.
The representatives of Iran, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan discussed in a video conference last week the establishment of an international transit corridor and the reduction of international road transport fares through Iran.
The possibilities of using Bandar Abbas and Chabahar ports for exports and imports were also being studied.
Back in June, senior Iranian and Uzbek officials inked 11 cooperation agreements between the two countries, which was a "preferential trade agreement and cooperation in the fields of transportation and transit, pharmaceutics, standards and insurance, joint free zones, technology and innovation, and agriculture."
Prior to signing the agreements, Raisi had welcomed Mirziyoyev, the first Uzbek President to visit Iran in over 20 years. The two presidents held a private meeting and then took part in the signing ceremony.
