As you know, at the broadened meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan held on December the 11th, 2020, the President of Turkmenistan instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the relevant state bodies to bring the solution of organizational and other issues to a close and start the working stage of cooperation on the creation of logistics center in Astrakhan region. Following the activation of trade and economic interaction in the Caspian region, the establishment of logistics center of Turkmenistan in the Astrakhan special economic zone will help to optimize commodity flows, increase the maneuverability of supplies in the shortest possible time with the lowest financial expenses. The center will become a platform to provide forwarding and transport companies with simplified customs, brokerage and other services. In order to implement this instruction, the Plenipotentiary Consul of Turkmenistan in Astrakhan region at the meeting with the General Director of JSC «SEZ «Lotos» on March the 4th, 2021 agreed on the issue of holding the online conference. It was organized under the sponsorship of the Agency for International Relations of the Astrakhan Region. The assigned video conference on the opening of the logistics center of Turkmenistan on the territory of the port-based special economic zone in the Astrakhan region of the parties was held on April the 7th, 2021.
The Plenipotentiary Consul of Turkmenistan in Astrakhan region Garayev G.A. and the General Director of JSC «SEZ «Lotos» in Astrakhan Milushkin S.Yu. delivered welcoming speech at the beginning of the meeting. Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, the agencies “Turkmendenizderyaollary”, “Turkmenavtoulaglary”, “Turkmendemiryollary”, the International Seaport of Turkmenbashi, “Turkmen Logistics” Association and OJSC “Transport and logistics center of Turkmenistan” took part in the videoconference on the Turkmen side. The Astrakhan region was represented by the general director and deputy general director of JSC SEZ “Lotos”, heads of partner companies: PLC “Kaspiy” LLC, “Kotlin SK” LLC, as well as the representatives of executive bodies of state authority of Astrakhan region, including the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, the Agency for International Relations of Astrakhan Region.
The following issues were brought up for discussion: the range and volume of goods sent from Turkmenistan to Russia, the countries of Europe, Southeast Asia, India and vice versa; prospects for the development of transit cargo transportation through Turkmenistan and the Astrakhan region and a number of other issues related to the creation of logistics center. The participants exchanged views on the issues brought up for discussion, demonstrating mutual interest in the opening of logistics center of Turkmenistan in the Astrakhan region in order to generate additional freight traffic along the international transport corridor “North-South”. Many companies are interested in the implementation of their projects on the territory of the port-based SEZ, since investors and residents, including foreign ones are provided with tax incentives and customs preferences. Residents of the port-based SEZ are not subject to VAT and enjoy preferential rates on income taxes, property taxes, as well as land and transport taxes. Besides, there is a duty-free zone regime on the territory of the port-based SEZ.
The project on creating logistics center of Turkmenistan in the Astrakhan region is being implemented as instructed by the President of Turkmenistan within the framework of the Caspian economic strategy of Turkmenistan, which was announced by the leader of the nation at the First Caspian Economic Forum. The concept is based on the implementation of large and long-term projects in such areas as energy, industry, transport and trade. In this context, the development and effective use of transport and transit corridors connecting Europe and Asia and the existing transport infrastructure, first and utmost seaports, are of special significance. At the same time, the creation of logistics center of Turkmenistan in the Astrakhan region is aimed at strengthening cooperation between Turkmenistan and the Russian Federation. Following the negotiations, the parties showed mutual interest in further cooperation regarding this project.
