BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 21. Uzbekistan is
exploring the possibility of participating in the development of
the Nakhchivan railway, a project that could provide the landlocked
Central Asian country with an additional transport link to Türkiye
and its ports on the Black Sea and Mediterranean, following a
today's meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on major
transport and logistics projects.
This was reflected in the statement by the press service of the
Uzbek president, following a meeting chaired by Uzbek President
Shavkat Mirziyoyev on major transport and logistics projects,
according to Uzbekistan’s presidential administration.
The Uzbek side is studying opportunities to participate in the
construction of the railway through Nakhchivan, which would provide
access to the Turkish ports of Samsun and Istanbul, the
administration said.
The railway project is being considered as part of Uzbekistan’s
broader efforts to diversify routes for transporting goods to
international markets and reduce reliance on individual transit
corridors.
The Nakhchivan connection would also complement Uzbekistan’s
growing logistics cooperation with Azerbaijan and Türkiye,
providing another potential route linking Central Asia with the
South Caucasus and Türkiye.
The development of the route is being considered alongside
Uzbekistan’s participation in logistics infrastructure at Baku,
Aktau and Turkmenbashi ports on the Caspian Sea, as well as
projects involving Black Sea ports.
Uzbekistan is also studying opportunities to participate in the
development of Georgia’s Anaklia port, while an agreement has
already been signed on establishing a logistics center at the
Georgian port of Poti.
According to the Uzbek presidential administration, these
projects are intended to diversify supply routes for Uzbek textile,
chemical, agricultural, mining and metallurgical products and
expand the country’s access to international markets.
The potential Nakhchivan route could strengthen connections
between Central Asia and Türkiye by combining Caspian Sea transport
with rail links through Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan toward
Türkiye.
Uzbekistan plans to double the volume of transport services by
2030, attract $9.1 billion in investment into the sector and
increase exports of transport services to $5.7 billion.
President Mirziyoyev stressed the need to establish clear
implementation timelines, financing sources and expected results
for major transport projects and ensure that individual initiatives
are developed as part of an interconnected logistics network.
“The president emphasized the importance of clearly defining the
deadlines for implementing the presented projects, their sources of
financing and expected results, as well as ensuring their
interconnected implementation,” the presidential administration
said.
