President Tokayev calls for expanding transport cooperation in Central Asia

The Central Asian region stands a chance to become one of the key transportation, logistics and transit hubs across the globe, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stressed in his article “The Renaissance of Central Asia: On the path towards sustainable development and prosperity” for Kazakhstanskaya Pravda daily, Kazinform News Agency reports.

Central Asia is rapidly turning into a linchpin of global transport communications. First of all, it is an ambitious China’s One Belt, One Road project, and the North-South international transport corridor that more or less involves all the countries of the region. Today our countries promote other promising projects to open new transport corridors, the article reads.

The President noted Kazakhstan and its partners actively develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor). The cargo transportation along the Middle Corridor may increase fivefold in the mid-term. The development of Kazakhstan’s sea infrastructure, the ports of Kuryk and Aktau, open new opportunities. The volume of cargo transportation along the ports from China, Central Asia to South Caucasus, Turkiye and further to Europe is growing.

Access to the promising markets of South Asian countries and pots of the Indian Ocean may provide transportation corridors across Afghanistan. It meets the interests of the entire region. By expanding transport cooperation within Central Asia and abroad we will achieve many goals, the President said.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev prioritized improvement of transport service (increase of flights, launching of new air and rail routes, modernization of cross-border checkpoints, etc.), expansion of transit capacities and efficient use of the regional transit and logistics potential in Central Asian nations transit and transport sector cooperation.