The Silk Road network took new steps towards development today as it was confirmed by Turkmenistan’s president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, that the first section of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan (TAT) railway has been commissioned, reported CCTV news.
TAT will provide opportunities for countries in Europe, Asia and the Pacific, according to Berdimuhamedov, who was joined by Afghanistan’s president, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, at an opening ceremony on November 28, 2016, to mark the occasion. Ghani claims that the new railway will revive the Silk Road and will turn into an important transport corridor to Europe, the Pacific and Asia.
Technical Paper: China’s One Belt Road
Silk Road network relations also improved recently when Pakistani officials welcomed the first large shipment of Chinese goods through its port of Gwadar, a deep-water port that is a gateway of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which encompasses roads and energy plans.
“Pakistan is located at the intersection of three engines of growth in Asia, South Asia, China and Central Asia. CPEC will help in integrating these regions into an economic zone offering great opportunities for people of the region as well as investors from all over the world,” said Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Earlier in 2016, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman and CEO of DP World, urged governments of One Belt One Road countries to explore innovative ways of working together as trading blocs to ensure the long term success of the One Belt One Road initiative, with these new developments it appears his advice was taken.
