Turkmenistan, Iran Sign Documents on Electricity, Road Construction

Officials of Iran and Turkmenistan inked documents to implement projects in the electricity and road construction sector. The documents were signed after a regular meeting of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Iranian Commission on Economic Cooperation.

One of the agreements was inked between the State Electric Power Corporation Turkmenenergo and Tavanir company of Iran to arrange financing for the Turkmen part of the Mary (Turkmenistan) - Mashhad (Iran) power transmission line.

The signing of these documents is an important step in the implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects that will increase the export of electricity from Turkmenistan to Iran and will contribute to the development of transport links between the countries.

In addition to the mentioned documents, the co-chairs of the intergovernmental commission also signed the Protocol of the 17th meeting of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Iranian Commission on Economic Cooperation.

Iran and Turkmenistan had reached an agreement in August to build two new railway lines aimed at alleviating the backlog of cargo at the Sarakhs railway terminal. Talking to reporters after a meeting with Turkmenistan’s Minister of Railways Mammet Akmammedov, Iranian Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development Jabbar Ali Zakeri announced that Iran and Turkmenistan agreed to construct two new railway lines at the Sarakhs border crossing to enhance freight transport between the two countries.

The agreement was reached during bilateral meetings in Turkmenbashi, held on the sidelines of the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries. Zakeri stated that the project will include the construction of one standard-gauge and one broad-gauge line connecting the Sarakhs stations on both sides of the border.

He underlined the significance of expanding rail infrastructure to improve regional connectivity and noted that technical discussions between the two countries’ rail administrations would follow shortly. - Kayhan