(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 30. Russia will take anactive part in the construction of the Trans-Afghan Railway as partof the Belarus-Russia-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistantransport corridor, Russian Deputy Transport Minister Dmitry Zverevsaid, Trend reports.
"In late April, Termez city, Uzbekistan, hosted a forum todeliberate on the initiative to establish the Trans-Afghan Railwayunder the Belarus-Russia-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistantransport corridor. The proposed railway, adhering to the 1520 mmgauge (Russian standard), aims to connect the northern Afghan cityof Mazar-i-Sharif to Parachinar in Pakistan. Russia has expressedreadiness to participate in the consortium and offer financialsupport, along with aiding in the development of a feasibilitystudy for the project," Russian media says.
In Termez, the stakeholders involved in the Trans-Afghan Railwayproject endorsed preliminary agreements outlining the establishmentand advancement of the route while also approving a detailedroadmap.
According to Russian media reports, Alexander Strelnikov, thefounder of RusTransChina, a Russian-Chinese transportation firm,emphasized the significance of the project for Russia. He statedthat it holds importance within the evolving transportation andlogistics landscape, as well as for bolstering economic relationswith Asian nations.
"Russia's involvement in this initiative, aimed at advancing theBelarus-Russia-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan transportcorridor, serves to broaden its footprint in both Central andSoutheast Asian markets while also bolstering the competitivenessof domestic transportation enterprises. Moreover, the constructionof the railway holds the potential to play a significant role instabilizing Afghanistan and fostering economic relations with thecountry," Strelnikov said.
In 2017, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan reached an agreement toconstruct the Mazar-e-Sharif-Herat railway line; however, the ideawas not developed further.
Russia, which is under international sanctions and experiencingdifficulties with cargo transportation, sees a way out for itselfin the accelerated development of transport corridors in thedirection of Iran and India (two branches of the InternationalNorth-South Transport Corridor) and Pakistan-Afghanistan viaCentral Asian countries.
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