President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, during a telephone conversation with his Afghan counterpart today, supported Ashraf Ghani's proposal to hold a trilateral meeting between the leaders of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan in the format of a videoconference, the agenda of which will include issues related to improving the efficiency of the “Lapis Lazuli” transport corridor.

According to the parties, the favorable geographical position of the two countries is of great importance for the implementation of strategically important infrastructure projects for the formation of new transit and transport corridors, including along the route Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey, which will directly contribute to the expansion of trade and economic ties and increase the volume of trade between the countries of Central and South Asia and European States, the state news Agency of Turkmenistan reports.

The agreement on the “Lapis Lazuli” corridor, which carries cargo from Afghanistan through Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia to Turkey, was signed in October 2017 within the framework of the 7th regional economic cooperation conference on Afghanistan (RECCA), held in Ashgabat. The opening of the “Lapis Lazuli” corridor took place on December 13, 2018 in the West of Afghanistan in the province of Herat, when the first test was launched – 9 heavy-duty vehicles.