Tajikistan and Uzbekistan launch multimodal corridor linking China and Europe

Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are beginning the implementation of a pilot multimodal transport corridor along the route China – Tajikistan – Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Iran – Turkey – Europe, Sputniknews reported with reference to the Ministry of Transport of Tajikistan.

Under the project, a convoy of 10 cargo trucks carrying freight will travel from Uzbekistan through the territory of Tajikistan to China. The report notes that the relevant agreement was reached during recent talks between the two countries’ transport ministers, Azim Ibrohim and Ilhom Mahkamov. It is also stated that permits for cargo transportation will be issued in electronic form.

The corridor was first presented in 2022 in Dushanbe at an international conference titled “Logistics and its priority areas in the development of transport links between Tajikistan and the countries of the region.”

Plans also include increasing the capacity of the Jartepa – Sarazm border checkpoint located on the Uzbek – Tajik border in Urgut district of Samarkand region. A new logistics center will be established there, capable of handling up to 100 cargo trucks per day and promptly processing the required documentation.

In addition, a diagnostic center designed to serve 150–200 people per day will be set up near the border, along with a commercial complex capable of serving 800 entrepreneurs. Citizens of Tajikistan will be able to use commercial and medical services “without undergoing passport control, completing unnecessary paperwork, or waiting in long queues.”