On July 31, Turkmenistan signed a $5 million agreement with Afghanistan to jointly develop and invest in the expansion of Torghundi, a dry port on the Afghan-Turkmen border.
It was the latest in a series of deals inked this summer between Central Asian states and the Taliban government in Afghanistan that underscore the region’s serious interest in connecting with, and more importantly, through, Afghanistan.
At the table in Herat in late July, the Taliban’s Deputy Minister of Railways Mawlavi Mohammad Ishaq Sahibzada signed a memorandum of understanding with Sardar Qurbanov, the head of Turkmenistan’s state-owned railway operator, Demiryollary, that outlines a $5 million plan to expand operations at Torghundi with new warehouses and loading/unloading facilities.
Turkmen Ambassador to Afghanistan Hoja Ovezov watched over the signing beside a trio of men, presumably Taliban officials.
The dry port at Torghundi, sitting on the Afghan side of the border, is a node in the Torghundi-Herat railway corridor.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Works, which publicized the deal, said via a spokesperson that Turkmenistan would make the investment upfront for the project, and be reimbursed via revenue generated after its completion.
Earlier in July, Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu traveled to Kabul, where he oversaw the signing of a memorandum of understanding also related to the Torghundi-Herat railway corridor. Afghan media characterized the memorandum as a Kazakh pledge to invest $500 million in the project.
Although Kazakhstan does not share a border with Afghanistan, Astana certainly has an interest in continuing to diversify its trade and transit routes.
As Vlast.kz reported this week, Kazakh Vice Minister of Transport Maksat Kaliakparov said that the project, encompassing the construction of 120 km of rail between Torghundi and Herat, is anticipated to take two years. He specifically noted the prospect of reaching Pakistani and Indian markets via Afghanistan as motivation for the investment.
“The financing structure has been worked out today,” he said. “[A]nd work is underway to attract investments.”
The Kazakh and Turkmen investment in Torghundi pale in comparison to what Uzbekistan envisions regarding the trans-Afghan railway.
Also in July, the foreign ministers of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan met in Kabul for trilateral consultations that largely centered on the trans-Afghan railway project. The transport ministers of the three countries signed an intergovernmental framework agreement on the development of a feasibility study for the 547 km route – at present charted as Termez-Naybabad-Maidan Shar-Logar-Kharlachi.
In an interview with Uzbekistan 24 TV, reported on widely by Uzbek media, Deputy Minister of Transport of Uzbekistan Jasurbek Choriev laid out details of the project, which he termed the country’s “second major strategic project” after the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway.
The feasibility study is “the first and a very important step” Choriev said. He added that the framework allows the parties to move onto to practical steps and provided an opportunity to justify the project not only for the states involved, but “for the entire world community.”
The cost of the project is presently estimated at $4.6 billion, with financing not entirely worked out, not the least because the participation of international financial institutions – like the World Bank – is complicated by the Taliban government’s lack of international recognition.
The challenges facing the grand vision have not stopped smaller steps from being taken. For example, in August 2024 Uzbek officials traveled to Naybabad in Afghanistan’s Balkh province to inaugurate a rebuilt railway station and the restoration of a 75-kilometer railway line.
Choriev was clear in July as to Uzbekistan’s motivation: “We are talking about a cheaper and faster route. The Trans-Afghan Railway opens up a huge market for Uzbekistan… If other Central Asian countries use this project, they will also receive great opportunities. This is the shortest route to sea ports. The potential of the corridor is huge, strategically important for us.”