ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 5. Kazakhstan and Pakistan will expand cooperation in the transport and logistics sectors, Trend reports.
This topic was discussed during a meeting between the Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan, Arman Shakkaliyev, and the Federal Minister of Trade, Industry, and Production of Pakistan, Gohar Ejaz, in Istanbul (Türkiye).
As the Kazakh minister noted, the ports of Pakistan—Gwadar, Karachi, and Qasim—are of great interest to Kazakhstan.
According to him, these ports can help promote the export of Kazakh products to the markets of Pakistan and South Asia, as well as increase the attractiveness of the transit potential of the two countries in accessing the export markets of the Persian Gulf and East Africa.
As was noted during the meeting, currently, there are options for organizing mutual deliveries both by overland routes and through the use of seaports via the North-South corridor, the territory of Iran, or through China.
In addition, options for transportation by road through the Karakoram Highway through the territories of Kyrgyzstan, China, and further to Pakistan are being considered.
The parties reached an agreement on mutually beneficial cooperation between the Pakistani logistics company National Logistics Cell and Kazakhstan's QazTrade in terms of providing fixed tariffs for the transportation of products by the Pakistani company towards Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Pakistan amounted to $73.5 million in 2022. From January through October 2023, the countries traded for $38.7 million.