On October 7, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov conducted a meeting devoted to the upcoming commissioning of the transnational railway – the Asian International Railway Corridor. The meeting was attended by members of the State Security Council, governors of velayats and Ashgabat, senior officials of some ministries, agencies and mass media. Cabinet Deputy Chairman S. Satlykov delivered an in-depth report on the construction of the Asian International Transport Corridor (Phase one) – Atamyrat-Imamnazar (Turkmenistan) – Akina (Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) section and informed about ongoing preparations for its opening ceremony, having submitted a draft Decree on the appointment of the commission to hold the event. As reported, the installation and construction work on Atamyrat-Imamnazar-Akina railway is due for completion in early November 2016. Addressing the meeting participants, the Head of the State highlighted that the official opening of the Asian International Railway Corridor (Atamyrat-Imamnazar -Akina) and an oil terminal (a facility, capable of receiving, storing and delivering petroleum products) at the customs station Imamnazar are events of great importance. They are timed to coincide with the Global Conference on Sustainable Transport in our country. Numerous guests and representatives of international organizations are expected to arrive in Turkmenistan from different countries to attend the events. We should take all necessary measures to host the forthcoming forum and opening ceremonies at a high level in terms of organization, the nation’s Leader stressed, signing the Decree on the appointment of the commission to be composed of Deputies Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, leaders of military and law enforcement bodies, ministries and sectoral agencies, governors of velayats and Ashgabat. During the meeting, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov emphasized that the task of building transnational transport corridors as a spatial model of infrastructure development for regional and interregional cooperation is becoming increasingly urgent. Development of international transport corridors meets Turkmenistan’s external and internal economic interests. Our country’s well-determined and well-known political priorities are consistent peace policy, regional integration into Central Asia and partnership with European and CIS countries, mutually advantageous relations with other countries. Due to their geographical location and national economic aspects, neighboring countries have direct interest in Eurasian integration, which goes far beyond the region’s boundaries and embraces the important ways of development of the countries on the continent. Transport is one of the key functional sectors in this context. The issue was addressed at the high-level International Conference on the Role of transport and transit corridors in ensuring international cooperation, stability and sustainable development, held in Ashgabat in September 2014. The highly important subject will continue to be under discussion during another forum, the Global Conference on Sustainable Transport, to be co-organized by our country and the United Nations. The forum, which is scheduled for November, will bring together numerous guests from different countries of the world. A combined transport system, which offers access to large international and regional sea, river, road, rail and air transport hubs, the optimal combination of different modes of transport so that the advantages of each mode are better exploited, has a bright and promising future. The Asian International Railway Corridor, whose strategic section is the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway, is destined to become an important link in international transport operations. As part of the project’s first phase, the 85-kilometer-long railway line from Atamyrat to Imamnazar, has been constructed in Turkmenistan. Atamyrat-Imamnazar-Akina railway will have the overall length of 88 kilometers with a 3-kilometer-long section between near-border stations: Imamnazar (Turkmenistan) and Akina (Afghanistan). The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway will be “gold link” of the Asian Railway Corridor, which in its turn will be an important line of the international transport networks linking two parts of the large continent – Europe and Asia. Then, the Head of the State entrusted the senior officials concerned with specific tasks, having given commissions concerning high-degree of organization of the events of international importance to be held in our country. The top-priority issues of the regions’ and Ashgabat’s socio-economic development, the far-reaching reforms aimed at improving the quality of life of the people of Turkmenistan, the state of affairs in the country’s farmlands and performance figures of the seasonal agricultural campaigns have been the subject of separate conversation between President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov and governors of velayats and Ashgabat. The heads of regional administrations reported on the progress of agricultural works, in particular the winter wheat sowing and cotton harvesting campaigns. The reports also included the information about construction of different-purpose facilities, preparations for the opening ceremonies of new buildings in honor of the remarkable dates and celebrations to be held countrywide to mark the 25th anniversary of sacred Independence, the program of events arranged for the holiday. Summing up the reports, the Head of the State pointed out the importance of taking comprehensive approach to the organization of festivities and giving close attention to essential needs of grain and cotton growers. The nation’s Leader emphasized the need for timely completion of the agri-campaigns, having demanded to take necessary steps to ensure well-coordinated and efficient agricultural works. The President of Turkmenistan said that labor achievements would be the best way to contribute to the celebration of the glorious 25th anniversary of sacred Independence, having given instructions on the upcoming festivities, which should reflect the native country’s impressive accomplishments on the road of prosperity and progress.