Lithuania committed to increasing freight traffic through Trans-Caspian route

 Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan Timur Urazayev discussed with Lithuanian Minister of Transport and Communications Marius Skuodis cooperation between the two countries in the transport and logistics sector, Kazinform News Agency cites the Kazakh MFA. 

The two officials reviewed the schedule and agenda of joint events for the current year, including meetings of the Joint Committee on International Transport and the Working Group on Road Transport. They also discussed the participation of the two countries' delegations in the forthcoming “Investors Forum for EU-Central Asia Transport Connectivity”, which will be held in Brussels on January 29-30 this year.

The ambassador provided detailed information on the work undertaken by the Government of Kazakhstan on the transport infrastructure development, including the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

Skuodis expressed interest in increasing the volume of cargo transportation through TITR, as it is economically more favourable and faster than the delivery of goods using the northern route. According to him, the connectivity issue of the Trans-Caspian route with the so-called “Middle Corridor”, “Three Seas Initiative”, and other European logistics routes is the focus of the current Lithuanian chairmanship in the OECD International Transport Forum.

The minister demonstrated his interest in opening direct flights from Kazakhstan to Lithuania, thus fulfilling the needs of tourists and business contacts between the two countries.

Besides, the two officials addressed the issues of the mutual exchange of permit forms for road transport for the current year, as well as the progress of approval of draft bilateral documents in the transport and logistics sector and the timeframe to sign them.