A cooperation agreement and a memorandum of intent to establish a Turkmenistan logistics center in the Astrakhan Oblast Special port economic zone were concluded at the Russia-Turkmenistan business forum held recently in Ashgabat.
The documents were signed by Sergey Milushkin, CEO of Lotos Special Economic Zone, and Merdan Byashimov, acting director of Turkmenistan Transport and Logistics Center.
The parties agreed to cooperate on increasing freight traffic by the North-South International Transport Corridor via the Caspian and on studying options to implement an investment project to establish a Turkmenistan logistics center in the Caspian cluster Special port economic zone.
After the Turkmen party designs the project of the logistics center and assesses the investment it will take, a road map for the project will be developed and an agreement to establish the center is to be signed.
According to Milushkin, the logistics center will be the first of the kind and hopefully will set an example for partners from other Caspian countries to follow.
He believes establishing a Turkmenistan logistic center in the Special port economic zone will be an important incentive to develop freight transportation between Russia and Central Asia and will allow other countries that have no direct access to the Caspian to use the North-South international transport corridor.
Milushkin said that several sites for the logistics center are under consideration in the special port economic zone. They are located adjacent to Berths 8, 9 of the port of Olya, where infrastructure is being developed and container, grain and oil handling facilities are under construction.
On January 17, a meeting between the RF Ministry of Transport, the government of Astrakhan Oblast, shipping companies, Astrakhan and Oyla marine terminals and the Agency for communications under the Turkmen Government and Turkmen transport businesses was held in Astrakhan.
According to Russia’s Sovfracht, which took part in the meeting, the parties agreed to develop a road map to implement a project to launch regular shipping lines in the Caspian.
Photo: Lotos Special Economic Zone