ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 28. Traffic volume along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), or the so-called Middle Corridor, can be increased five times in the medium term, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in a message to the people of Kazakhstan, Trend reports.
"To do this, we need to join forces with partner countries - China, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkiye," he said.
According to Tokayev, Kazakhstan will have to build a new dry port at the Bakhty crossing, accelerate the construction of a container hub in Aktau, expand port facilities on the Black Sea along the Middle Corridor.
"The construction of Kazakh terminals in Chinese Xi'an and the Georgian port of Poti has already been launched. These are real examples of how the Chinese Belt and Road mega-project connects with our national initiatives," Tokayev said.
Tokayev added that realization of the transport potential depends on constructive and good neighborly relations of Kazakhstan with all neighboring countries without exception, including Russia, China, neighbors in Central and South Asia.
In 2022, the volume of freight transport along the TITR witnessed a 2.5-fold increase, reaching 1.5 million tons. The surge continued in 2023, with freight volume for January through June surging by 77 percent compared to the same period last year, totaling 1.3 million tons.