Delegations from Turkmenistan and Afghanistan are holding bilateral talks in Herat on simplifying visa procedures for international haulage drivers and entrepreneurs, stepping up the Lapis Lazuli corridor and building the Turkmenistan–Herat railway line, the Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) reports. The interagency consultations bring together representatives of the two countries' ministries of foreign affairs, industry and trade, and transport, as well as the heads of their railway authorities. The agenda covers expanding transport and logistics cooperation, removing barriers to freight traffic and reviving regional trade routes. One of the central topics was easing the visa regime for drivers and entrepreneurs. Reducing administrative barriers would cut the time trucks spend idle at the border, optimise logistics costs and stimulate mutual trade. The sides paid particular attention to the multimodal Lapis Lazuli corridor, which runs from Afghanistan through Turkmenistan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia to Türkiye and Europe. Kabul and Ashgabat see it as a key artery for integrating the region into the international system of overland and maritime transport. On railway infrastructure, the participants reviewed progress on the Turkmenistan–Herat line and the expansion of border terminals. Herat Province, which borders Turkmenistan directly, is strengthening its position as the main logistics hub linking South Asia with Central Asia and the Caspian basin.