Turkmenistan is ready for substantive negotiations across all aspects of cooperation and use of the Turkmenbashi port by the landlocked countries of the region, said President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov at the International Forum “The Great Silk Road: Towards News Frontiers of Development”. The construction of the Turkmenbashi International Seaport that was launched in August 2013 and completed today became an integral factor of the development of Turkmenistan’s maritime fleet. The new port occupies 152 hectares and includes ferry, passenger and cargo terminals. The total length of berths that can instantly serve 17 vessels is 1800 meters. The port can receive 300 thousand passengers, 75 thousand cargo trucks and handle 400 thousand containers a year. The new port’s overall throughput capacity is 17 million tons excluding oil products. Within the scope of the port project, “Balkan” ship building and repair facility was constructed. It can process 12 thousand tons of steel a year, build 4 and repair 20 ships. The President of Turkmenistan stressed that the new seaport will become a vital link in shaping the modern system of maritime transport that will create most favorable conditions to access the Black Sea, countries of Europe, Middle East, South Asia and Asia-Pacific, thus significantly reducing the distance and travel time for major cargo flows. With optimization of traffic flows in Eurasia, new strategic prospects will open up for interregional and intercontinental ties. Certainly, the decision to construct the port was dictated primarily by domestic needs. The Western part of Turkmenistan, the Caspian coast, is one of the most dynamically developing regions of our country. Strong industrial, energy, transport and communication infrastructure is being created, and the foundation for the modern gas chemical industry is laid here. The modern port infrastructure will give a strong impetus to the national economy and attract investments to its segments. Moreover, and this was specifically highlighted by the Turkmen leader, the importance of the Turkmenbashi seaport fairly extends far beyond the national boundaries. In deciding to construct the port, we assumed that it will naturally focus on promoting international cooperation in transport and logistics and including new areas and directions into its configuration, said the head of state.