International transport corridor (ITC) Belarus–Russia–Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–Indian Ocean ports
Work on the multimodal Belarus–Russia–Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan corridor to Indian Ocean ports began in August 2022. Pakistan signed up in September 2024, and the route is meant to give landlocked Central Asia access to the sea.
International transport corridor (ITC): Belarus–Russia–Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan to Indian Ocean ports
Work on an international multimodal transport corridor — Belarus–Russia–Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan, with access to Indian Ocean ports — began in August 2022 at the third meeting of the Joint Working Group on cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Eurasian Economic Commission, where the development of the corridor was discussed.
In November 2023 the transport ministers of Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed a memorandum of understanding on creating and developing the corridor, launching the active phase of the project. In April 2024, at a meeting of representatives of the countries covered by the corridor in Termez, Belarus’s transport ministry signed the memorandum. At that meeting, Afghan and Pakistani representatives reported that domestic procedures for joining the project were under way.
A roadmap was also signed at the Termez meeting, setting out concrete plans to develop freight traffic, analyse cargo flows, introduce electronic digital documents and streamline customs procedures.
On 18 September 2024 Pakistan signed the memorandum on creating and developing the corridor, which runs from Belarus to Indian Ocean ports.
The press service of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport stressed: “Pakistan’s accession to this large-scale project marks an important step in strengthening regional trade ties and speeding up international freight transport along the corridor,” adding: “The parties expect the corridor to become an important link in Eurasia’s transport system, providing convenient and efficient routes for the transit of goods and strengthening economic cooperation between the participating countries.”
On 27 November, in Astana, during the Russian President’s state visit to Kazakhstan, Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted in talks that the two countries would step up efforts to implement as soon as possible the memorandum of understanding on creating and developing the international transport corridor “Belarus – Russia – Kazakhstan – Uzbekistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan – Indian Ocean ports”, signed in November 2023.
If the project succeeds, the corridor will give Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan access to the Indian Ocean and to large markets in South Asia, including Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, as well as in South-East Asia and Africa. It will also give South Asian and South-East Asian countries access to the markets of Russia, Belarus and Central Asia through Afghanistan. Afghanistan becomes an important country through which cargo flows will pass, allowing it to earn money and thereby improve its social and economic condition, which in turn will have a positive effect on its security. The corridor will improve logistics and raise the transport potential of the SCO member states that are parties to the project (Afghanistan is an SCO observer).
For the corridor to develop fully, however, a railway must be built to link Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, which would significantly speed up the delivery of goods along the route.