ASHGABAT, April 20. /TASS/. Turkmenistan plans to officially join the agreement on the International North-South Transport Corridor, Russian Ambassador to Turkmenistan Alexander Blokhin said in an interview with TASS, adding that Moscow wholly welcomes the move.

"There is an agreement on the North-South corridor, and Turkmenistan is ready to officially become its member. North-South is an important arterial road amid today’s turbulent political system not only for Russia, but also for Turkmenistan, as it is always beneficial to be a transit country, enjoying additional budget revenues. And I am confident that Turkmenistan is interested in it as much as Russia," he said.

For Turkmenistan to become a full-fledged member of the agreement, the consent of all participants is necessary, the diplomat said. "At least Russia obviously welcomes the accession, moreover, it recommends that all other countries also greenlight this wish of Turkmenistan," he noted.

An intergovernmental agreement on the creation of the International North-South Transport Corridor was signed by Russia, India and Iran in 2000, with several other countries joining it later. Moscow ratified the document in 2022. The project is aimed at ensuring the transit of cargo from India, Iran and Persian Gulf countries through Russian territory to Europe.