SIGNIFICANCE OF NEW TRANSPORT CORRIDORS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMIC RELATIONS OF UZBEKISTAN - SOUTH-EAST ASIA (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE SOUTHERN DIRECTIONS)

Abstract

Nowadays, the rapid globalization process forces countries that want to grow their economy to produce more solid foreign
relations. Rich domestic resources are no longer indicative of a country's economic development. For this reason, countries
first look at ways to reinforce foreign trade relations that provide mutual benefits. The position of Uzbekistan is of geostrategic
importance for Central Asia, like other countries in the region. Uzbekistan is a closed country for international maritime trade
routes. The fact that Uzbekistan used northern transportation corridors during the Soviet period, and was not connected to the
south, east and west international transportation corridors, making it difficult for the country to gain foreign trade opportunities
in the first years. At a time when waterways were the leading traffic for foreign relations around the world, the fact that
Uzbekistan had to find a less costly way to the sea became the most important issue to be solved in the context of foreign tradeeconomic relations. According to its geographical location, Uzbekistan is one of only two doubly landlocked countries worldwide, i.e. a landlocked country that only borders other landlocked countries (Stark and Ahrens, 2012: 12). Although
Uzbekistan had it's railway connections with previous Soviet Union countries which subsequently became independent,
Uzbekistan still had to find new ways to establish commercial and economic relationships with the Middle East, South, East,
South East, Europe, America and African countries. Thanks to its earlier contribution to the creation of international transport
corridors, Uzbekistan today has the opportunity to benefit from about 10 international transport corridors. Among these
corridors, the new Trans Afghan Transport Corridor, which is great importance, described as a promising project. In this article,
Uzbekistan's efforts to create southern transport corridors, the importance of new ones in the development of international
foreign economic relations in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and the whole region in general, projects aimed at connecting the new
corridors to other international transport corridors and their relations between the countries and important features that reinforce
commercial relations are examined.