Turkmen President: Railway project is sign of friendship

Inche borun, Gorgan, Golestan Prov., Dec 4, IRNA – Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said on Wednesday that inauguration of Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan railway east of the Caspian Sea is indicative of friendship among the three countries. He made the remarks in a joint press conference with the Iranian and Kazakh presidents. President Berdimuhamedov said the railway will develop economy of the three countries and the entire region. 'Today, we were witnessing a very big historical event because inauguration of the railway provided a big opportunity for expansion of relations among the three nations and the regional countries.' He said the big project can be handled only by such powerful countries as Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan and the railway is very helpful and profitable for the three nations and the regional countries. Thanking joint efforts of the three governments to commission the giant project, the Turkmen President said transportation is a key choice for expansion of relations among nations, as expansion of ties with the neighboring and regional countries has been among main goals of construction of the project. He noted that the project has been the result of years of endeavors of the three countries and subsequently, the regional countries would export goods from Asia to the European states using the networks. He said revival and reconstruction of transportation in the Caspian region and Central Asia is a turning point for expansion of relations among regional countries, being capable of further expanding relations. The railway is among the big projects which would connect China, Pakistan, India and the Pacific Ocean and it is not a commercial and trade project but is a geopolitical project./end