President of Kazakhstan, Kasym-Jomart Tokayev, expressed his opinion on the necessity of developing industrial cooperation and logistics in the region during the 5th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of Central Asian States in Dushanbe, Zakon.kz reports.
Tokayev noted that there is a global trend towards the formation of short and sustainable regional supply chains in global production. In this context, he proposed the development of cooperative cluster projects for the production of food products, light industry, construction, and chemical industries, emphasizing the enormous potential in this regard. He suggested creating an action plan for the development of industrial cooperation among Central Asian states. This plan would aim to establish a closed production cycle for certain types of goods with the prospect of exporting them to third-country markets.
He also emphasized the need to develop and fully utilize the transport and logistics potential of the region's countries. This, he said, is a strategic area that can serve as a cornerstone for the rapid development of Central Asian states.
"We are witnessing the formation of a new economic geography of the world. An increase in trade flows is projected towards China, Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. Central Asia is at the crossroads of paths connecting the global North and South, West and East. This is our significant advantage, which opens up broad prospects. At the current stage, the Trans-Caspian international transport route plays a special role. In the medium term, transport volumes along this corridor can be increased fivefold. We intend to systematically increase its capacity through the implementation of digital solutions and infrastructure modernization," highlighted President Tokayev.
He stressed the importance for Central Asian countries to continue working on the development of transport and logistics infrastructure to eliminate "bottlenecks" that hinder intra-regional trade. According to Tokayev, Kazakhstan plans to expedite the implementation of several major projects that will contribute to expanding economic ties with neighboring partners.
"We are talking about railway projects such as Dostyk-Moyunty, Bakhty-Ayagoz, Darbaza-Maktaaral, as well as the road from Zhanaozen to the Turkmenistan border. In general, Kazakhstan intends to strengthen its position as a transit hub in Eurasia," concluded President Tokayev.
The leaders of Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan are holding the 5th Consultative Meeting in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
September 14, 2023