the challenges facing landlocked developing countries: a case study ...

TURKMENISTAN
With direct access to the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan is not as
geographically isolated as the other landlocked countries of
the central Asia. It has also benefited from its significant oil
and gas reserves and an extensive transport system that
surpasses those of its regional landlocked neighbors in both
quantity and quality. However, like the other former Soviet
states, Turkmenistan suffers from having a large majority of
its transport corridors directed toward Russia. To address this
constraint, the government has made a serious commitment to
developing other corridors. A rail link to Iran, for example,
was opened in 1996.
Interestingly, Turkmenistan’s relative political isolation due to
its autocratic regime has been beneficial, since it has limited
the influence of surrounding conflicts. Unlike many other
central Asian landlocked countries, Turkmenistan has not
suffered from a civil war. Poor international relations with
Uzbekistan, however, have not only limited transport to
Russia but also hindered domestic routes in the north of the
country, which require passage through Uzbekistan.
Despite Turkmenistan’s relatively well-maintained domestic
infrastructure and political stability, it faces both political and
infrastructural challenges on its primary corridors. These
include: (1) restrictive bureaucratic procedures on rail and
road routes through Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan and Russia; (2)
poorly developed and weather dependent road routes directly
through Kazakhstan; (3) underinvestment in the port of
Turkmenbashi; (4) poor infrastructure in Azerbaijan and
Georgia on the corridor through the Caspian Sea; and, (4) low
infrastructure levels on routes through Iran.
TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
Roads
While Turkmenistan’s domestic road system is extensive and
BASIC INFORMATION
HDI Rank: 87
GDP per capita
2000 (PPP$): $3,956
Exports per capita
2000 (current USD): $533
Distance to port:
1,700km
Transport cost ratio
(1997): 0.15
Neighbors:
Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran,
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Primary transit neighbors:
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan
Main trading partners:
Imports: United States (18%),
Ukraine (15%)
Exports: Iran (20%),
Ukraine (15%)
Primary Exports (2001):
Gas (57%)
Oil & Refined products (26%)
Domestic Roads: good
Transit Country Roads: poor
Domestic Rails:
Transit Country Rails:
relatively well-developed, with over 82% of its roads paved (compared to 57% for
neighboring Kazakhstan), it has suffered from the inappropriate positioning of the network
during Soviet times. As with several of its Central Asian neighbors, key roads were built at
times when no international borders existed in the area. As a result the main road connecting
the north of the country with the East crosses through Uzbekistan. Similarly, important
transport arteries to the East of the country pass through Uzbekistan. This imposes significant
extra costs and visa requirements on all transit traffic (Mayhew 2002). In an effort to
poor
poor
Transit Country Ports: good
Neighboring Civil Conflict:
moderate
Relations w/ Neighbors: fair
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