Historical Adversaries are Forming Amicable Relationships in the New Era

Zeeshan Javaid

Rochester NY: Through the Great Silk Road, political, economic, and cultural connections were fostered between Central and South Asia throughout history.

Yet, as time went on, these relationships began to deteriorate. But new information has put the Trans-Afghan railway project in the limelight, and many are talking about what it could mean for the area.

On March 12 and 13, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bakhtiyor Saidov met with Taliban leaders on his official visit to Afghanistan.

Uzbekistan and other Central Asian nations were asked to consider the significance of the Trans-Afghan project, which was a major point of discussion.

On October 7, 2023, while discussing the concept of the broader geopolitical framework, Abdukadirov reportedly brought up the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It was necessary to seek alternative ways because the Houthis cut off access to the Red Sea throughout this war, endangering a vital maritime route connecting the West and Asia.Do Russian threats strengthen NATO’s position in the West?

Despite the fact that the Trans-Afghan Railway project has been around for a while, it really took off in 2019 after talks between the Pakistani government and an Uzbek team.

Transportation logistics were the major topic of debate as they pertained to the integration of Afghanistan’s and Pakistan’s transportation systems.

Gwadar and Karachi are two of Pakistan’s most major ports, and the country is working with China to improve its transportation sector. Uzbekistan is currently aiming to connect the Trans-Afghan railway to Peshawar and, later, the port of Gwadar.

With two major routes already established, China gives less weight to the routes in Central Asia. The first one travels through Russia and ends in Europe, while the second one continues onwards to the Caspian Sea via Kazakhstan.

Consequently, the railway connecting China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan is not very significant. The quantity of goods moved is the primary determinant of these routes’ importance.

In light of the new 25-year deal between Iran and China, the link between the two nations via Pakistan is quite important.

As part of its plan to construct a road connecting Pakistan and Iran, China is now working to address technical issues.

Although it is not the main route, China does have an additional way to reach Pakistan via Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan.

The Trans-Afghan Road was once Uzbekistan’s intended route to Iran. Now that Iran’s railway through its territory is nearly finished, the country is on its way to Afghanistan.

Stopping China’s progress is the global West’s top priority right now. This has led them to seek opportunities to trade with India through Iranian or other ports. Another major factor in this scenario is Russia.

During his meeting with the president of Uzbekistan in Kazan on February 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced his interest in building a new transit railway through Afghanistan.

Uzbekistan processed 11.3 million metric tons of transit goods by the end of 2023, according to the most recent precise data available. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route carries an estimated 80 million metric tons of freight annually.

Uzbekistan had fantasies about reaching the sea via Afghanistan. This could only take place because Uzbekistan built a railway connecting Mazar and Sharif.

The Baltic Sea trade route saw a decline following Sweden’s NATO membership. Therefore, the global south is Russia’s principal area of interest. Trade between Iran and India over the Caspian Sea is crucial for Russia.

To replace this route, Russia is now discussing a second project. To reach Iran, Russia plans to use the routes via Armenia and Georgia.

Russia plans to use Armenia and Georgia as entry points into Iran. Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan provide another possible escape route for Russia to Iran or Pakistan.

Russian diplomatic sources claim that all three of these areas are equally important to the country. But getting to Iranian ports across the Caspian is very likely.

Turkmenistan has recently been improving its transportation corridors towards Iran and Pakistan. As a result, Uzbekistan’s options are reduced because this is a competitive approach.

Pakistan received large investments from China. Of all China’s international projects, the $60 billion China–Pakistan Economic Corridor is by far the costliest. Consequently, Pakistan is a target market for Chinese exports.

Imports to China from Central Asia may not be China’s top priority, but they won’t be insignificant either.

Notably, Russia expressed interest in and joined this project in 2018. Not only that, but the Persian Gulf states are keen as well. For instance, Uzbekistan and Qatar developed close ties, with official delegations from Qatar making several trips to Uzbekistan.

In Pakistan’s view, the capacity of neighboring countries to trade energy resources is critical to maintaining peace and safety in the area.

Power generated by hydrocarbons and sold is a crucial commodity. Trans-Afghan Railway came into being as a result of the CASA-1000 project that the European Commission established in the 1970s.

The overage power from Central Asian nations will be sent to Afghanistan and then, via Pakistan, to India, according to this project.

Development on the project is ongoing at the moment. The possibility of carrying out the CASA-1000 project will increase if there is enthusiasm for it and if it is straightforward to export energy resources from Russia or Kazakhstan. Russia is reportedly interested in buying gas storage facilities in Uzbekistan for this reason.

Turkmenistan is unable to ship China substantial quantities of gas. This is the fundamental reason why Turkmenistan primarily targets Western countries for its gas exports. Quick changes are occurring in the trajectory of events.