Turkmenistan declares 2018 as Silk Road year

By Fatih Hafiz Mehmet

ANKARA

Turkmenistan has declared 2018 as the Silk Road year and is seeking to establish an extensive transport infrastructure, according to Turkmenistan's ambassador to Turkey.

Speaking at a news conference in capital Ankara, Isankuli Amanliyev said 2018 has been declared "Turkmenistan – the Heart of the Great Silk Road" year by the country's president Gurbanguli Berdimuhamedov.

Amanliyev said Turkmenistan was an important junction in the Silk Road -- an ancient trade route which connected Europe with Asia -- and the establishment of an extensive transport infrastructure was crucial in its development.

"The key point in Turkmenistan's development policy in the transportation sector is establishing architectural bases of new geo-economic space which will connect Central Asia, Caspian Sea, Black Sea, the Baltics, Middle and Near East, South and Southeast Asia," he said.

He added that long-term national programs are being applied in the country, which aim to expand the current transportation network.

He said the UN General Assembly had approved three resolutions in 2014, 2015 and 2017 on the importance of transportation corridors in the development of international cooperation and this proves that Turkmenistan's efforts on the issue are recognized internationally.

He added that the government will hold national and international events on the theme throughout the year.