Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 23
By Ali Mustafayev - Trend:
Freight transportation through the "Western Europe - Western China" transit corridor, as well as through Kazakhstan reached 600,000 tons, the Deputy Minister of Investment and Development of Kazakhstan Roman Sklyar said during the press conference in Astana.
Sklyar added that 160,000 tons of cargo was transported by this route through Kazakhstan in 2009.
The general freight through the "Western Europe - Western China" transit corridor in 2009 was 13 million tons.
The ministry forecasts increase of these indicators to 33 million tons of cargo per year by 2020.
The deputy minister added that the international transit corridor "Western Europe - Western China" is the shortest route for transporting goods from China to Kazakhstan, as well as the countries of Central Asia, the western Russia and Europe.
The duration of cargo delivery from the central provinces of China to St. Petersburg by the route is approximately 10 days, whereas by sea it takes 45 days.
“The length of the transit corridor through Kazakhstan is 2,787 km. We have completed all the necessary work on this corridor during this year,” Sklyar said.
The countries that participated in the construction of this corridor strengthened their transit potential and received an internal effect in terms of regional development, according to Sklyar.
“In our country the corridor covers 200 settlements with 5.5 million inhabitants. Significant momentum is expected in the development of small and medium business, the service and tourism industries and other sectors of the economy.”