BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 11. Pakistan is keenly interested in importing energy resources from Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin said in an interview with Trend.
"We regularly receive requests from our Pakistani friends for Kazakh coal, oil, petroleum products, and gas.
The main issue we face is logistics. We are closely monitoring the development of regional projects like TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) and CASA-1000 (aimed at connecting Central Asia’s energy systems with South Asia)," Kistafin stated.
He explained that the development of collaboration between Pakistan and Kazakhstan is greatly influenced by regional circumstances.
"To deliver goods between our countries, we need to cross at least two other countries in the region, such as Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, or even China or Tajikistan. Our current task is to create adequate transport and logistics infrastructure to ensure timely and efficient delivery of products, including energy resources," he added.
Regarding transport cooperation, Kistafin emphasized the importance of joining forces with top-notch Pakistani logistics companies.
"In May, we completed our first multimodal shipment from Northern Kazakhstan to Dubai via the Karachi seaport in Pakistan. This was achieved in partnership with NLC. Our next project, in collaboration with TCS, involved transporting pharmaceutical products from Karachi to Baku through the Aktau seaport in Kazakhstan," he stated.
Kistafin highlighted that these pilot projects demonstrated the viability of the Trans-Afghan and Trans-Pakistan routes.
"Given the situation in the region, including the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, these routes are currently the most optimal in terms of delivery time and tariffs. Our goal now is to enhance these routes and develop logistics further," the ambassador said.
The ambassador also noted that Kazakhstan and Pakistan could not only serve as destination points but also develop transit logistics.
"Through Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and Azerbaijan could access markets in Africa, the Persian Gulf, and Southeast Asia," he stated.
Kistafin pointed out that these regions represent some of the world's most densely populated markets.
"This opens up entirely new horizons for cooperation not just with Pakistan but with other continents and regions. Thus, we prioritize the development of transport and logistics cooperation," the ambassador concluded.