• The Union Cabinet has given its approval for India to accede to the Ashgabat Agreement, an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.
• Ashgabat , known as Poltoratsk between 1919 and 1927, is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan in Central Asia, situated between the Karakum Desert and the Kopet Dag mountain range.

About Ashgabat Agreement:

• An agreement between five countries on establishing a new international transport and transit corridor (Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Iran – Oman– Qatar) was signed on 25 April, 2011 in Ashgabat. This agreement, known as “Ashgabat Agreement”, forms the basis for developing the shortest trade route/corridor between the Central Asian countries and Iranian and Omani ports.
• The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on various aspects (legal, procedural, infrastructure ect) of the trade and transit agreement was signed on 06 August, 2014 in Muscat. Oman has called for early completion of the legal, technical and basic requirements to ensure that the international trade corridor becomes operational by 2015.
• While Qatar had withdrawn from the agreement in 2013, and Kazakhstan joined it later in 2015 .
• The inclusion of Kazakhstan has increased the significance of the agreement by extending it further into Central Asia to the borders of Russia and China.
• The land transport component of the agreement includes rail links running through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran, of these the Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan (ITK) railway line is a major route. In October 2007, Turkmenistan had signed a multilateral agreement with Kazakhstan and Iran, to construct the new north-south ITK railway line, connecting Turkmenistan in the north with Uzen in Kazakhstan and with Gorgan in Iran to the south. This 912.5 km long railway line has its longest segment, spanning 700.5 km, in Turkmenistan. ITK railway link which became operational in December 2014 is also a part of the India-sponsored North-South international transport corridor (NSITC/INSTC).
• To service the Ashgabat Agreement, Oman has earmarked a number of major and international ports such as Salalah Port, Duqm Port and Sohar Port. Iran is expected to nominate is ports at Chahbahar, Jask and Bandar Abbas

Analysis:

• Accession to the Agreement would enable India to utilise this existing transport and transit corridor to facilitate trade and commercial interaction with the Eurasian region.
• This would also synchronise with India's efforts to implement the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) for enhanced connectivity.
• China's One Belt One Road could minimize India's control in this region. But by approving this agrrement India's presence is further cemeneted in this region.
• It will also diminish the leverage being exercised by Pakistan in curtailing India’s connectivity to Central Asian countries, who at the same time is promoting its own transit arrangements in the region.