Foreign Ministers of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Oman and Qatar inked the document in Ashgabat, capital city of Turkmenistan.

The new transport corridor will run from Uzbekistan across Turkmenistan and then to the Gulf via Iran, bypassing Afghanistan.

Uzbek Foreign Minister Elyor Ganiyev said that this is a historic document, which is in the interests of the Central Asian region and the Gulf.

As earlier reported, President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov proposed to create transport corridor Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Oman-Qatar and other states of Persian Gulf in Ashgabat on 19 October 2010.

According to the Uzbek side, the establishment of railway road communication from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to southern ports of Iran will help to create important transport network among the countries of Persian and Oman Gulfs and all Central Asian states.