SCO headquarters hosts a presentation on Kazakhstan’s transit potential

A presentation on Kazakhstan's transit potential was held at the headquarters of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on 28 April 2017.

In his address to the presentation participants, the SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov said that SCO member states attach great importance to cooperation in the transport sector and work consistently to shape a modern and ramified road network across the vast territory of the SCO. Such cooperation is exemplified by the Agreement between the Governments of the SCO Member States on Creating Favourable Conditions for International Road Transportation, signed in September 2014 at the SCO Summit in Dushanbe.

Rashid Alimov stressed that the Path of Light state programme and the January address of President Nursultan Nazarbayev to the people of Kazakhstan have set out clear guidelines to lead the Republic of Kazakhstan to a new level of transit potential. A number of infrastructure projects are being implemented in the country in the automobile, railway and aviation industries. The implementation of transport projects will make it possible to fully tap the potential of the main transit routes passing through Kazakhstan, such as Europe-China via Russia and the Economic Cooperation Organisation countries, Russia-Central Asia and China-Iran.

In his speech, Kazakhstan's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the People's Republic of China Shakhrat Nuryshev spoke in detail about the prospects for the development of the country's transit potential and the creation of logistics and industrial hubs connecting Europe, China, Central Asia and the Middle East.

The event's participants saw the presentation of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Investment and Development on the prospects for the development of the country's transit potential, including by using the opportunities of Kazakhstan's terminal at the port of Lianyungang.

Representatives of government agencies and companies from Kazakhstan and China delivered reports on improving transit potential, construction of new and reconstruction of the existing communication networks, enhancing service quality and boosting the reliability of the transport system, as well as the optimisation of tax and customs duties.

The speakers highlighted the importance of road and railway hubs, built in accordance with international standards, for the development of trade and economic cooperation within the SCO.

The speakers noted the beneficial terms of conducting business by national and foreign investors carrying out investment projects in the transport sector, as well as the newly adopted favourable legal regulations and modern administration methods.

Deputy Chairman of the Transport Committee of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Investment and Development Dmitry Potlov expressed confidence that the presentation at the SCO headquarters was an excellent opportunity for the international community to find out about the implementation of comprehensive measures aimed at developing infrastructure as a foundation of the economy and increasing the export and transit potential of Kazakhstan, as well as strengthening the interconnected transport infrastructure in the SCO region.

Diplomats from the SCO member states accredited in Beijing, members of Kazakhstan's embassies in East and Southeast Asia, specialists from transport agencies and companies, experts from China's research and educational institutions and media representatives took part in the presentation.