There are promising transit routes such as the Five Nation Railway project, the Four Nation Railway project, the Zyedan Delaram Road (chabahar Project), the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) between Afghanistan and China, the Afghanistan-India Air Corridor Program. The Five Nations Railway project has the potential to connect with China and Iran over a distance of 2100 kilometers, passing through the countries of the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Approximately 50% of the implementation of the multinational rail project has been completed. The National Ring project, which is an important national strategic corridor, is helping to connect with other provinces in Afghanistan, as well as its neighbours in Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East. The Asian Development Bank (AfDB) is supporting the national ring road with $330 million. The BRI is a regional economic trade and infrastructure platform that aims to strengthen connectivity between China and the rest of Eurasia, mainly through the ocean-based „Maritime Silk Road“ and the land-based „Silk Road Economic Belt“. The Belt and Road Initiative between Afghanistan and China was signed in 2015. Work is ongoing. Trans-Hindukush road connectivity has been underway and implemented since 2016. The objective of this corridor is to establish connectivity in the mountains of the Hindu Kush by building roads.
The project is in phase of the procurement plan from 2016 to 2019. In order to expand trade relations between Afghanistan and India, the air link program was launched in 2017. So far, more than 155 cargo flights have been exchanged between Afghanistan and India. Learning material in. Summary in Corredor de Transporte Afganistán-Turkmenistán-Azerbaiyán-Georgia-Turquía (Lapislázuli) Transport Corridor Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey (Lapis-lazuli) Corredor de Transporte Afeganistão-Turquemenistão-Azerbaijão-Geórgia-Turquia (Lápis-lazúli). Since its introduction in 2012, the Agreement on Lapislazuli Transit, Trade and Transport Routes has been developed to strengthen regional economic integration and trade connectivity between the countries of Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. Lapis Lazuli makes a remarkable contribution to the establishment of an integrated transit and transport system between the Parties and beyond by strengthening economic and cultural ties between Asia and Europe. The name „lapis lazuli“ derives from the historic route on which lapis lazuli and other semi-precious stones from Afghanistan were exported to the Caucasus, Russia, the Balkans, Europe and North Africa more than 2,000 years ago. The project will strengthen the Government of Afghanistan`s National Infrastructure Plan and the National Priority Programme for Private Sector Development.
The Lapis-Lazuli corridor is also designed to expand the economic opportunities of the citizens of the different countries who will benefit from this new transport corridor. The facilitation of transit and the simplification of customs procedures are two important pillars of cooperation under the Agreement. The lapis lazuli corridor includes part of the CAREC No. 2, which stretches from Aqina in the northern province of Faryab and Torghundi west of Herat (both in Afghanistan) to the port of Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan (on the Caspian Sea). The route then continues to Baku and Tbilisi and the Georgian ports of Poti and Batumi. Finally, the corridor connects the cities of Kars and Istanbul, Turkey, to the entrance to Europe. The name „lapis lazuli“ derives from the historic route on which lapis lazuli and other semi-precious stones from Afghanistan were exported more than 2,000 years ago along the ancient Silk Road to the Caucasus, Russia, the Balkans, Europe and North Africa. The initiative will be used to strengthen the Afghan government`s national priority programs in the areas of infrastructure development and connectivity, energy, and private sector development. [4] The lapis lazuli corridor is financed by the Asian Development Bank. Currently, the budget for the transit project is estimated at $2 billion. Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey last month signed an agreement to create the Lapis-Lazuli transport corridor to connect the five countries. The document, completed after three years of technical discussions, was signed in Ashgabat on the sidelines of the 7th Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA) on 15 November.
The corridor begins in Torghundi in the western province of Herat in Afghanistan and continues to the port (on the Caspian Sea) of Türkmenbaşy in Turkmenistan; After crossing the Caspian Sea, the road continues to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, and then continues to connect Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, as well as the Georgian ports of Poti and Batumi. Finally, the corridor at the entrance to Europe will be connected to the cities of Kars and Istanbul in Turkey. [4] The name „lapis lazuli“ derives from the historic route on which Afghan lapis lazuli and other semi-precious stones were exported to the Caucasus, Russia, the Balkans, Europe and North Africa more than 2,000 years ago. Recognizing the importance of trade and transit, which are a prerequisite for development, the Afghan government has developed the idea of establishing the Lapis Lazuli Transit Corridor, which provides Afghanistan`s National Peace and Development Framework (ANPDF) for inclusive and balanced growth. The Lapis-Lazuli corridor aims to create an easy route from the port of Aqina in northern Afghanistan, in Faryab province, and from Torghandi, in the western province of Herat, to Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan. The crossing of the Caspian Sea will connect the Azerbaijani capital Baku with Tbilisi and the Georgian ports of batumi and poti on the Black Sea. It will then be connected to Kars in eastern Turkey before leading to Istanbul and Europe. The Lapis-Lazuli corridor is financed by the Asian Development Bank (AfDB). The cost of the project is estimated at more than $2 billion. India offers the cheapest market for Afghanistan. If India expresses interest in joining the Lapis Lazuli transit corridor, it will increase the value of intra-regional trade in the context of the growing regional share of world trade.
Three technical meetings on the agreement on the Lapis-Lazuli road were held, the last in November 2016 in Baku, where participants finalized the text of the agreement. The official signing ceremony will take place this year on the sidelines of RECCA-VII in Ashgabat. The expected impact of Lapis Lazuli is considerable, not only because most of the necessary infrastructure is already in place, but also because most of the necessary investments will be focused on improving policies and governance. Economic return and net present value have not yet been determined, but with a discount rate of 12%, the total return is expected to be positive. The lapis lazuli corridor will be connected to central Turkey The first country, Afghanistan, celebrated the agreement as an important development that would largely cure its long-standing economic scourge. As a landlocked country, Afghanistan has relied primarily on Pakistan for its international trade in the light of international conventions and bilateral agreements such as the Afghanistan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA) and the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA). However, these legal frameworks have not helped; The country`s economy continues to suffer from the challenges of transit trade through Pakistan. Afghanistan`s disadvantaged geographical location has been used by Pakistan as a means of pressure to dictate its political policies. In this context, the Lapis-Lazuli corridor would diversify Afghanistan`s transit routes and was interpreted as the shortest, cheapest and most reliable route for Afghanistan`s trade with Europe. Beyond transit trade, the agreement is a strategic step towards integrating Afghanistan into the region and securing its economic future by calling it a hub to connect markets in South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. The Lapis Lazuli Transit Corridor aims to reduce barriers to trade, reduce transaction costs, improve cross-border governance through harmonization, strengthen trade and transit, and strengthen regional cooperation. The corridor will operate within the framework of the International Road Transport Carnet (TIR).
The TIR Carnet facilitates Customs procedures and is considered a universal transit procedure. Afghanistan became a member of TIR in 1975, but was at rest due to persistent instability and renewed its membership in 2013. The introduction of the TIR system in the lapis lazuli corridor will increase trade and transit in Afghanistan and other countries in the region. According to the ACCI, Afghan goods are transported through the corridor through Turkmenistan, through the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, then to Georgia, across the Black Sea and through Turkey to the Mediterranean and Europe. According to the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), 80% of the goods shipped from South Asia to Europe are transported on this route (by rail in Afghanistan as well as in the countries of the South Caucasus and by boat crossing the Caspian and Black Seas). In addition, the Lapis Lazuli Corridor project aims to make Afghanistan less dependent on the Pakistani port of Karachi for exports. [9] Reducing trade barriers, reducing transaction costs, improving cross-border governance through harmonisation, intensifying trade and transit and strengthening regional cooperation are the main objectives of the project. .