Kazakhstan and Russia have launched a pilot project for driverless freight transportation between the two countries, marking a new stage in the digitalization of Eurasian logistics and cross-border transport infrastructure.
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the launch during a press conference following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Commenting on the results of the negotiations, Tokayev said that transport connectivity plays a crucial role for both neighboring countries in delivering goods to domestic and international markets.
He added that Kazakhstan and Russia are actively developing transcontinental transport corridors along both the North-South and East-West routes as part of wider efforts to strengthen Eurasian connectivity.
“It is encouraging that systematic measures are being taken to optimize tariffs, simplify administrative procedures, and modernize border infrastructure, resulting in steady growth in cargo transportation volumes,” Tokayev said.
He also said that freight volumes between the two countries reached approximately 92 million tons last year, an increase of nearly 3.5%.
“We plan to continue increasing these indicators, including through the introduction of advanced digital solutions and artificial intelligence technologies. A clear example is today’s launch of driverless freight vehicles between our countries,” Tokayev added.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Forum, Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Transport Damir Kozhakhmetov told the Russian news agency TASS that the first test routes are operating between Astana and Moscow.
“As part of cooperation between our two countries, we are integrating our digital solutions in order to move from traditional systems into a new era of autonomous transportation,” Kozhakhmetov said.
“Two trucks departed simultaneously from Moscow and Astana and crossed the border checkpoint. This demonstrated that we are already infrastructurally prepared to move to a new level of cooperation,” he added.
Earlier, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Transport Nurlan Sauranbayev said Russia and Kazakhstan were prepared to establish permanent driverless freight routes as early as this year.
Tokayev said the innovative transport initiative reflects the broader quality of bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Russia.
“In conditions of continuing turbulence in global politics, stable and predictable models of interstate partnership acquire special value,” the president said.
“Relations between Kazakhstan and Russia have stood the test of time and are now successfully responding to the challenges of a new era.”
According to Tokayev, bilateral cooperation is based on large-scale projects that provide practical benefits for both countries, while stable trade and economic ties continue to support growth across key sectors of their economies. He noted that bilateral trade turnover in the agricultural sector alone has increased by approximately $1 billion over the past five years.
Investment cooperation has also continued to expand. Tokayev said Russia has become the largest source of foreign direct investment in Kazakhstan, with total Russian investments exceeding $29 billion.
“At the same time, Kazakh investments in the Russian economy have reached $9 billion, which is also a strong indicator,” Tokayev said.
According to the president, more than 20,000 companies with Russian participation currently operate in Kazakhstan.
Tokayev also highlighted energy cooperation as another example of successful bilateral partnership, particularly agreements signed during the visit related to the construction of Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant near Lake Balkhash.
“In my opinion, the agreement on the construction of the Balkhash nuclear power plant is of exceptional importance,” Tokayev said.
“This project will become a locomotive for scientific, educational, and technological cooperation and will ensure the development of related industries in energy and industry as a whole, above all in Kazakhstan.”
Following the talks in Astana, Kazakhstan and Russia signed a joint declaration on the seven principles of friendship and good neighborliness between the peoples of the two countries, as well as an intergovernmental agreement outlining the principles and conditions for cooperation on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan.
The sides also signed an agreement on a Russian state export loan to finance the project.
The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Kazakhstan plans to build at least three nuclear power plants, with Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom selected to construct the country’s first facility.
