Diplomats gather in Washington to galvanize support for New Silk Road

ASTANA. KAZINFORM A traditional meeting focused on further development of regional cooperation in Central Asia, South Asia and the Caucasus took place in Washington DC on July 31.

The meeting was initiated by the Embassy of Kazakhstan and brought together a lot of important participants, such as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Fatema Sumar and embassy officials of India, Pakistan, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Opening the meeting, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of Kazakhstan Yerkin Akhinzhanov spoke about Kazakhstan's contribution to the New Silk Road (NSR) and realization of the regional transport corridor projects. Participants were also briefed on Kazakhstan's humanitarian and technical assistance to Afghanistan, the investment climate in Kazakhstan, including the announcement of a visa-free regime for citizens of the U.S. and other countries that are Kazakhstan's largest investors. Fatema Sumar, who visited Kazakhstan in June, praised Kazakhstan's activities aimed at strengthening regional cooperation. She gave a detailed and comprehensive briefing on the New Silk Road projects, such as CASA 1000, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline and the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TUTAP) electricity grid, as well as new opportunities in regional trade, streamlining customs and transit operations, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry's press service said. The New Silk Road region's diplomats exchanged views on the future of regional economic cooperation that is essential for keeping regional stability and achieving development aspirations.