Turkmenistan’s logistics system
Turkmenistan lies at the heart of Eurasia, between the Caspian Sea and its borders with Iran, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This position makes the country a natural link in transit routes between East and West and between North and South. In recent years it has been building a multimodal logistics system that unites road, rail, sea and air transport. The centerpiece of this system is the Turkmenbashi International Seaport. It has operated since May 2018 and has focused on stimulating international cooperation in transport and logistics. The new port more than tripled the country’s cargo handling capacity to 25–26 million tons per year. It is the largest cargo and passenger hub on Turkmenistan’s coast. In March 2026, a European Union delegation visited the port, where both sides discussed making effective use of the Trans-Caspian corridor’s potential. The port is a key part of the Caspian Sea–Black Sea corridor. Officials are discussing ways to increase freight traffic through the ports of Turkmenbashi, Baku, Poti, Batumi and Constanta. The Lapis Lazuli Corridor also forms a route from Afghanistan through Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia to Turkey. On the railways, the Kazakhstan–Turkmenistan–Iran line, opened in 2014, connects Central Asia with the Persian Gulf. On the roads, highways link the country with Kazakhstan, Iran and Afghanistan, and new high-speed roads are being built toward Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In aviation, Ashgabat’s international airport and the new airports in the regions meet international standards. Speaking at the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue Summit, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov presented a strategy to turn the country into a key Eurasian logistics hub. He stressed that new routes should complement existing ones rather than replace them.
Shyhalyyev Dovran Yagmyrovich
Maritime secondary vocational school of the city of Turkmenbashi, teacher