Dushanbe (TDI): Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said that transport and logistics cooperation between Central Asia and Russia has expanded significantly in recent years, with rail freight transit volumes rising sharply.
Speaking at the 2nd Central Asia–Russia Summit in Dushanbe, President Tokayev emphasized that strengthening connectivity and logistics remains a central pillar of Kazakhstan’s strategic partnership with Russia.
“For Kazakhstan, cooperation with Russia holds vital strategic importance. Owing to our geographical position, Kazakhstan serves as a crucial bridge connecting East and West, North and South, forming the central link in the Eurasian transport and logistics network,” President Tokayev said.
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He noted that Russia acts as a major gateway for regional economies to access global markets. “Therefore, collaboration in the field of transport and logistics is of paramount importance,” he added.
Highlighting Kazakhstan’s growing transit potential, the President said that 11 international transport corridors, including five rail and six road routes, now cross the country, handling around 85 percent of overland freight traffic between Asia and Europe.
He pointed out that more than $35 billion has been invested over the past 15 years to modernize Kazakhstan’s transport infrastructure, resulting in consistent growth in freight volumes.
“Rail transit from Russia to Central Asia through Kazakhstan has increased by 26 percent in the past three years, surpassing 30 million tons, while transit in the opposite direction has surged by nearly 50 percent. In addition, freight shipments from Russia to China via Kazakhstan have tripled, exceeding 5 million tons,” Tokayev said.
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Earlier at the summit, the Kazakh leader identified trade and industrial cooperation as top priorities in relations between Russia and the Central Asian states, noting that Kazakhstan’s trade with Russia reached $28 billion last year.
