TEHRAN (Tehran Times) – President Hassan Rouhani announced on Wednesday that Iran and Turkmenistan are determined to accelerate the construction and activation of the South-North corridor from the Sea of Oman and Iran to Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in order to serve the interests of all regional countries. Rouhani made the remarks in a joint press conference and his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow in Ashgabat on Wednesday.

Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Oman and Qatar signed an agreement on creation of new international transport corridor, linking Central Asia with Persian Gulf, on 25 April 2011. Later, Qatar decided not to participate in the project. The new transport corridor will run from Uzbekistan across Turkmenistan and then to the Persian Gulf via Iran, bypassing Afghanistan. The establishment of railway road communication from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to southern ports of Iran will help to create important transport network among the countries of Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman and all Central Asian states.

The Iranian president also reiterated that Iran and Turkmenistan have decided to increase the total value of their economic exchanges from the existing $3.7 bln to $60 bln in a ten-year period. He went on to say that the figures are quite accessible and achievable given the capacities and potentials of the two countries as well as the political will of their leaders.