Turkmenbashy port may become platform for cooperation with SCO
At an expanded meeting of the SCO+, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov proposed that the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization consider the possibility of using the Turkmenbashy International Sea Port to implement joint projects, the State News Agency of Turkmenistan reports. "I would like to draw your attention to the capabilities of the Turkmenbashy International Sea Port. We are ready for a practical dialogue on the use of this multifunctional terminal in the interests of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization," the President of Turkmenistan said. According to the head of state, the presence of an extensive resource base, the advantages of a geographical location, and the dynamic development of industry and infrastructure contribute to economic rapprochement and the creation of large economic hubs of continental and global significance in the SCO space and the territory of Turkmenistan. He particularly emphasized the transport component of cooperation, noting that there are real opportunities to build a logistics highway along the East-West and North-South lines. "The SCO countries and Turkmenistan are called upon to become key links" in such a highway, the President emphasized. The head of Turkmenistan expressed his conviction that the targeted unification of efforts can create conditions for the formation of a holistic geo-economic space from the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic, including the Asia-Pacific region, Central and South Asia, Russia, the Middle and Near East. The President of Turkmenistan paid special attention to the trans-Caspian and Caspian routes, calling the Caspian corridors “a real chance to radically increase the efficiency” of economic opportunities and full access to world markets.