Adventurous travellers wanting to take in one of the world’s great journeys will welcome news that the famous Silk Route is close to being revived.
Yesterday India agreed to join 23 other countries between Turkey and Japan in creating a network of top-quality roads across the Asian continent; The Times reports that Russia is expected to join the agreement today with seven more countries likely to join the fold in coming months.
The United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan is quoted as saying: “From Tokyo to Tehran, from Singapore to Samarkland, and from points beyond those to those in between, the network now spans 32 countries and encompasses more than 140,000 kilometres.”
The main route, which will be known as Asia Highway One, will start in Tokyo and winds its way through South Korea, North Korea, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Armenia and Turkey. The Times reports that there will be side routes linking such destinations as Moscow, Bali, Sri Lanka, Ho Chi Minh City and the southern Philippines.
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad
