The Government of Armenia has approved a legislative initiative to join the Ashgabat Agreement, according to TASS. This agreement was originally signed by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Oman, Qatar, and Iran. It was designed to establish uninterrupted land connectivity between the countries of Central Asia and the Middle East. For Armenia, joining this transport corridor also means gaining simplified access to the sea.
“Joining the Ashgabat Agreement will contribute to creating reliable conditions for the transportation and transit of goods and passengers through the territories of member states, simplifying multimodal transportation, optimizing transport costs, enhancing the republic’s transit role, increasing transport safety, and ensuring equal conditions for transport organizations of member states,” the explanatory note to the legislative initiative states.
“The initiative will also provide [Armenia] access to international markets via the transport corridor, harmonization of transit documentation for international shipments, simplification of customs procedures, and non-discriminatory use of the transport infrastructure of the participating countries,” the document emphasizes.
However, before proceeding, the draft initiative on joining the Ashgabat Agreement must be submitted to Armenia’s Constitutional Court to determine its compliance with the Constitution. Only if the court gives a positive verdict will the document be presented for parliamentary discussion.
The Ashgabat Agreement was signed in the spring of 2011 by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Oman, Qatar, and Iran. Its goal was to create an international transport and transit corridor to ensure a continuous overland route through Central Asia and the Middle East.
Later, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and India also joined the agreement, and in August of last year, the Government of Kyrgyzstan approved a decision to join the transport corridor.