Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 4
By Elena Kosolapova – Trend:
Implementation of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route project opens great prospects for Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, Vladimir Telnov, deputy director of the Institute of Public Policy for the Kazakh ruling Nur Otan Party, said.
He made the remarks Apr. 4 during the Baku-Astana video conference following the official visit of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev to Azerbaijan.
Telnov recalled that the implementation of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route project and transport cooperation between the two countries were among the main topics of the Apr. 3 talks between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
He noted that currently, the transport infrastructure is actively developing in both countries, new railways and roads are being built and the old ones, as well as the maritime infrastructure, are being modernized.
In this context, Telnov mentioned that in late March 2017, the first cargo from the new Kazakh port of Kuryk arrived in Azerbaijan.
He recalled that the development of transport networks at the time gave impetus to the progress in many Western countries.
At the same time, for the success of the Trans-Caspian route project, it is necessary to create the 21st century transport system on a modern technological basis, having eliminated customs and bureaucratic obstacles for transporters, he said.
He also noted that Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan should strive to become not only transit countries for the goods coming from China to Europe and back, but also to become production sites themselves and participate in a single production process in the Eurasian space.
All this will contribute to the growth of the people’s welfare, the expert said.
The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route runs through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and then through Turkey and Ukraine to Europe.
In October 2016, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Georgia signed an agreement on the establishment of the “Trans-Caspian International Transport Route” association with its office in Astana. Its activities are aimed at attracting transit and foreign trade cargo, as well as developing integrated logistics products via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.
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