BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 11. Afghanistan has called for joint efforts with Turkmenistan to increase bilateral trade by improving border, port and transport links.
This was announced in a report published by the Office of the Prime Minister of Afghanistan.
According to the report, Afghanistan's Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund called for reopening the Aikrim border crossing for oil transit and facilitating Afghan transit goods at Turkmenbashi Port.
He also called for resolving obstacles to the reactivation of the Lapis Lazuli Corridor and rehabilitating and expanding the Herat-Torghundi railway network.
“The two sides should work jointly to increase trade,” the publication quoted Baradar as saying.
In turn, Chairman of Turkmenistan's Halk Maslahaty (Parliament) Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stated that Ashgabat is ready to provide all necessary facilities for Afghan transit and commercial goods at Turkmenbashi Port.
Berdimuhamedov also emphasized joint efforts to reactivate the Lapis Lazuli Corridor to increase trade between the two countries and the wider region, the publication said.
Meanwhile, Turkmenistan has been developing its transport sector around the idea of turning its Caspian coast and road and rail network into a transit bridge between Central Asia, the South Caucasus and international markets. A key element is the International Seaport of Turkmenbashi, which provides a maritime link across the Caspian and is intended to support cargo flows between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan and onward to the South Caucasus and Europe. The country has also invested in road and rail links connecting the port with neighboring states and inland destinations.
This infrastructure increasingly overlaps with the Middle Corridor, or Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, linking China and Central Asia with Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye before reaching European markets. The country has also been working on digitalizing transit procedures, including the use of the e-TIR system, to reduce paperwork and improve the movement of goods across borders.
Another part of Turkmenistan's transit strategy is the development of routes toward Afghanistan and Iran. The Lapis Lazuli Corridor connects Afghanistan through Turkmenistan, the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan with Türkiye and Europe, making Turkmenistan's territory and the Port of Turkmenbashi part of a broader westward trade route. Railway connections such as the Herat-Torghundi line can further link Afghanistan's markets with Turkmenistan's transport infrastructure. This makes the sector increasingly important not only for transit revenues but also for diversifying trade routes and strengthening Turkmenistan's position as a logistics hub between Central Asia, the Caspian region and Afghanistan.
