At the 38th meeting of the Council of Managers and Responsible Representatives of Railway Transport of the Organization for Cooperation of Railways (OSJD) member states, which opened on April 15 in Ashgabat, agreed decisions will be made to improve the operation of railways and determine the development strategy of the Organization for the future.

 The largest event brought together delegations from 22 countries in the Turkmen capital: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, the Russian Federation, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, China, Mongolia, North Korea, the Republic of Korea, Laos, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, the Czech Republic,  Slovakia, Hungary and the host country - Turkmenistan.

 Delegates will summarize the work of the task forces for 2023 in such areas as infrastructure and structure of railway traffic, the procedure for mutual settlements between railways, the debt settlement mechanism, etc.

 At the opening of the forum, a greeting from President Serdar Berdimuhamedov was read to the participants of the event, in which the head of state emphasized the active position of Turkmenistan in the development of transport and transit corridors and cooperation in this direction at the sites of the UN and other major international organizations.

 “As a member of the Organization for Cooperation of Railways since 1994, Turkmenistan has been pursuing a coordinated transport policy aimed at the harmonious development of railway infrastructure at the national level, as well as transit international cargo transportation on a regional scale,” Serdar Berdimuhamedov said in his message.

 The agenda of the meeting includes consideration of the results of the activities of specialized Commissions and permanent working groups of the Organization for 2023, discussion of the Work Program for the coming years, development of a draft Development Strategy of the Organization, professional training and education of employees of the railway system and other issues.

In addition, issues aimed at strengthening effective cooperation between the parties to the Agreement on the International Transit Tariff, and its improvement and updating for the sake of general well-being and progressive development will be considered.

 As noted by the Chairman of the Organization for Cooperation of Railways (OSJD) Miroslav Antonovich, strengthening the transit role of Turkmenistan as a strategic line on the Silk Road is very important from the point of view of the development of the Middle Corridor, Orient reports.

 Antonovich noted the great importance of the first investment forum on sustainable transport of the European Union-Central Asia held in Brussels, where Turkmenistan presented its transport and transit potential, especially such an important hub as the seaport of Turkmenbashi.

 As for the key goals facing the structure today in general and on the agenda of the Ashgabat meeting, in particular, the OSJD Chairman named the development of railway transport as the most environmentally friendly mode of transport in the world at present.

 Note that the Middle Corridor connects the container rail freight networks of China and the countries of the European Union through the countries of Central Asia, the Caucasus, Turkey and Eastern Europe.

 The forum will last until April 19.