Tajikistan is developing alternative transport corridors that connect China and Europe through Central Asia. One of these routes is the Tajikistan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Türkiye-Europe corridor.
About stated this Deputy Minister of Transport of the Republic of Tajikistan Shoista Saidmurodzoda at the 23rd meeting of the Coordination Committee for the CAREC Transport Sector, which was held in Ulaanbaatar.
According to her, the length of roads in Tajikistan exceeds 26 thousand km, the railway network – 958 km. There are 10 international corridors running through the country, 4 of which are CAREC corridors.
“They are important for the development of international transport, trade and regional cooperation,” said Saidmurodzoda.
Representatives of CAREC countries took part in the meeting. The Tajik delegation was headed by Deputy Minister of Transport Shoista Saidmurodzoda.
Special attention was paid to joint infrastructure projects, the introduction of modern technologies in the road industry, as well as issues of safety and sustainability of the region’s transport network.
Transit rate
In her speech, Saidmurodzoda presented information on the development of international transport corridors in Tajikistan within the framework of the CAREC program and with the support of international partners.
She emphasized that the development of transport infrastructure remains one of the country’s government priorities.
According to the deputy minister, Tajikistan is actively promoting the development of transport connectivity and logistics in the region. In September 2023, the Agreement on Strengthening the Interconnectedness of Land Transport in Central Asia was signed in Dushanbe. The document is aimed at the development of international transport, transit, transport corridors and transport and logistics infrastructure.
Also, within the framework of Tajikistan’s chairmanship in the CIS in 2025, at the country’s initiative, a Strategy for the digitalization of multimodal transport corridors of the CIS member states was developed. It was approved on September 29 last year at a meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth countries.
The document is aimed at digital transformation of the transport complex, increasing the efficiency of international transport, simplifying transit procedures and strengthening transport connectivity in the CIS.
In addition, at the 82nd session of UNESCAP, which was held on April 20–24, 2026 in Bangkok, at the initiative of Tajikistan, a resolution was adopted to strengthen cooperation in the field of transport connectivity and logistics for sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region.
A new path to Europe
Saidmurodzoda noted that Tajikistan is working on the development of alternative transport corridors that connect China and Europe through Central Asia.
One of these routes is the international multimodal transport corridor Tajikistan – Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Iran – Türkiye – Europe.
According to the deputy minister, this corridor makes it possible to transport goods from China and Central Asia to Europe.
Among its advantages, she named a shorter route to Europe, access to the ports of Iran and Turkey, as well as access to international markets for landlocked countries. In addition, the route could facilitate trade between China, Central Asia and Europe.
Alternative through Pakistan and China
Taking into account the current geopolitical situation, Shoista Saidmurodzoda proposed considering the Tajikistan-Pakistan-China route as an alternative direction.
She noted that this route is open thanks to the agreement between the governments of Tajikistan and Pakistan “On Transit Trade” dated December 14, 2022, as well as the agreement signed in September 2025 between the governments of Tajikistan and China on international road transport.
“Such a route could provide access to Pakistani ports on the Arabian Sea and create an additional transport route for trade between Central and South Asia,” she said.
The Deputy Minister also reported that, with the financial assistance of the Asian Development Bank, roads in key domestic and regional areas within CAREC were rehabilitated in Tajikistan.
Currently, with the support of ADB, three projects worth a total of $242.6 million are being implemented in the transport sector of Tajikistan. One project worth $86.7 million is at the implementation stage, two more projects worth a total of $155.9 million are under warranty service.
Meeting with the Minister of Transport of Mongolia
As part of her trip to Ulaanbaatar, Shoista Saidmurodzoda also met with the Minister of Roads and Transport of Mongolia, Borhuugiin Delgersaikhan.
The parties discussed cooperation in the field of railway, road and air transport. They also discussed the creation of new transport flows connecting the Eurasian region.
At the meeting, it was noted that Tajikistan and Mongolia plan to expand cooperation in the field of air and road transport. In the near future, the parties are preparing to sign a bilateral agreement on international road transport.
