On Thursday, January 14, with the participation of the Presidents of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan in the tele-bridge mode, a ceremony of commission a number of infrastructure facilities was held. These are the Akina-Andkhoy railway line, the international fiber-optic communication system and transit flows in the directions Ymamnazar (Turkmenistan) – Akina (Afghanistan) and Serhetabat (Turkmenistan) – Turgundi (Afghanistan), as well as a power line from the Turkmen city of Kerki to the Afghan Shibergan, the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan reports.

 Addressing the participants of the meeting by tele-bridge, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said: “All three projects that we have implemented in a short time are united by a common meaning and a common goal – to give a powerful impetus and ensure the long-term development of our countries, the prosperity and well-being of the Turkmen and Afghan  peoples, to promote broad international cooperation, mutual understanding, political and social stability”.

 The Turkmen leader emphasized that in order to achieve these goals, Turkmenistan would continue to provide Afghanistan with economic, political and diplomatic support.

 Among the landmark projects currently being implemented, the head of the state highlighted the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, power transmission lines and fiber-optic communication along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan route, and the Lapis-Lazuli transport corridor.

 In turn, the President of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, noted that projects to develop railway communications, transfer of electricity to Pakistan and transportation of gas to India and Pakistan, the formation of a fiber-optic network connecting South Asia by land with Europe, would improve the living conditions of the Afghan people and create development corridors.

 “We strive to turn Afghanistan into a regional crossroads, and, undoubtedly, Turkmenistan, … as a good neighbor and strategic partner of Afghanistan, can play a useful and valuable role in this regard”, - he mentioned.

 Then, in the teleconference mode, the participants of the ceremony watched as the first train of 20 freight cars and tanks with export products of Turkmenistan departed from the Akina station towards the city of Andkhoy in a solemn ceremony.  Ten of them will deliver various types of fuel, including ECO-93 gasoline, kerosene and other oil products, the other seven – mineral fertilizers, and three more – crop products.

 Further, with the help of a special device, a power line was put into operation in the direction of Kerki-Shibergan.  The participants of the event witnessed the supply of electricity, observing the technological model of the supply of electricity along this line, which was displayed on the screen.

 The ceremony participants also watched a video presentation of the launch of the international fiber-optic communication system and transit flows in the directions Ymamnazar (Turkmenistan) – Akina (Afghanistan) and Serhetabat (Turkmenistan) – Turgundi (Afghanistan). Their work will increase transit network traffic through Turkmenistan, ensure its transmission to Afghanistan and further to Pakistan.  The new lines will also help to increase the speed of information flow between the countries of Europe, Asia and Southeast Asia up to 100 Gbps, and in the future – up to 6 Tbps.