Representatives of the railway authorities of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye have reached new agreements on developing the CASCA+ international multimodal transport route connecting Asia and Europe.

Following a meeting of representatives of the relevant authorities held in Tashkent, a protocol was signed by the six countries. The document aims to enhance the competitiveness of CASCA+, one of the region’s key transport corridors, and improve the efficiency of freight transportation.

Under the agreements, one of the main areas of cooperation will be ensuring the uninterrupted movement of cargo and reducing delivery times to its final destination. To achieve this, the parties plan to eliminate logistical bottlenecks at the interfaces between different modes of transport, reduce container waiting times at Caspian Sea and Black Sea ports, and establish a consistent supply of container platforms along the entire route.

Particular attention was also paid to tariff policy during the meeting. Specifically, the parties reached a consensus on establishing preferential and flexible tariff conditions for transporting agricultural products and perishable goods in refrigerated containers.

The new measures are expected to help increase freight volumes, create more favourable conditions for international trade flows and improve the efficiency of the CASCA+ transport route. The development of this route will also enable it to further strengthen its position as one of the reliable land transport bridges between Asia and Europe.

Turkmenistan’s participation in the CASCA+ project is particularly important in terms of making effective use of the country’s transit transport potential. The integration of the capabilities of the Turkmenbashi International Seaport with Turkmenistan’s well-developed railway network forms an important logistical link connecting Central Asian countries with the Caucasus region, Türkiye and European markets.

The development of the CASCA+ route opens up new opportunities for strengthening Turkmenistan’s position in international transport corridors, increasing transit freight volumes and expanding interregional trade and economic relations.