Uzbekistan lobbies for transport corridor to Gulf via Iran: Representatives from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Oman are planning to meet in Tehran later this month to discuss the possibility of setting up a transport corridor that would give the landlocked states of Central Asia access to the Arabian Gulf – and therefore global shipping routes – via Iran. The idea of opening up a route to the Indian Ocean that does not involve the risky (and therefore costly) business of transporting goods through Afghanistan and Pakistan was first raised by Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov on a visit to Turkmenistan. The meeting is due to take place on 26-27 February. Turkmenbusiness