DUSHANBE, October 5, 2012, Asia-Plus -- Afghanistan is currently holding discussions with the U.S. on a new railway route to the Black Sea through Central Asia and Caucasus, Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin was quoted as saying by Silk Road Newsline.

“One idea, the specific one that we’ve had discussion on this morning with the American government, is the idea of an alternative corridor for Afghanistan.  Apart from the East and the West transit outlets that we have to Pakistan and Iran, we are pursuing the idea of a Black Sea corridor taking us through by railway, which is a reemerging mode of transportations nowadays, all the way to the Black Sea going to Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and part of Turkey,” Ludin told a panel at the Central Asia – Caucasus Institute at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington on October 3.

“We raised it with the United States today and got full support on this from the United States.  We’ve spoken individually to Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, to Georgia to Turkey for putting it in place,” he said.

When established, the new route would provide landlocked Afghanistan with the much needed alternative transportation corridor to the sea.

“It’s almost there because railway connections exist now from Afghanistan’s border from Aaqina, the port of Aaqina, all the way to the Black Sea.  The thing is it has not been yet established as a route, which is very strange,” Ludin said.  “The United States is using other routes that go through Russia and though others, the Baltics and all that and are much longer while this one is much shorter, once established, hopefully, and we’ll pursue this.  Once established, this will give Afghanistan the so-called, famous Third Route, the third outlet.”