Kazakhstan proposes to develop the transport connectivity of the region, as 7 out of 10 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation lack access to the world's oceans. This was stated by the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Alihan Smailov, at the SCO summit held last week in Tashkent.
One of the key points for growth in the development of modern transboundary trade and logistics infrastructure is the International Industrial Cooperation Center "Central Asia" on the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, emphasized Smailov. A similar industrial trade and logistics complex is planned to be built on the border with Kyrgyzstan.
To connect Uzbekistan with the western regions of Kazakhstan, the "Beineu-Shalkar" highway will be built, which will complete the formation of the 8th road corridor of TRACECA (the international cooperation program between the European Union and partner countries on the organization of the transport corridor "Europe — Caucasus — Asia").
"We are also actively unlocking the potential of our Caspian Sea ports. A container hub will be built in the port of Aktau, and a multifunctional terminal, Saryzha, in the port of Kuryk. The construction of separate railway tracks at border crossings with China for the countries of Central Asia is planned," said Alihan Smailov.
The cargo traffic along this route is planned to reach 500,000 containers per year by 2030.
Astana prioritizes the development of the Trans-Caspian International Corridor. To enhance its potential, Kazakhstan, together with Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, is implementing roadmaps for the synchronous elimination of "bottlenecks" and the development of the Middle Corridor by 2027.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
November 14, 2023