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The Government of Tajikistan and FLSmidth to Cooperate in Mining

Sherali Kabir, Minister of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan, and Peter Flanagan, representative of the transnational company FLSmidth have signed a memorandum of cooperation in the mining sector. FLSmidth is one of the world's leading mining equipment suppliers. During their meeting, the parties exchanged views on priority areas of cooperation in the mining sector and the development of joint projects in the mining industry and under the memorandum, will form a working group to instigate plans. It was noted that 93% of Tajikistan's territory is occupied by mountains possessing essential breakthrough minerals, including lithium, copper, antimony, and others.

Eurasian Transport Network Transport Russia European Union Finance

Alternative Transport Routes in Kazakhstan: Potential and Current Opportunities

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ordered alternative transportation and shipping routes to be drawn up and supply routes to be diversified. Amid ongoing geopolitical shifts, routes passing through Kazakhstan's territory are already seeing relatively high freight flows. Still, to develop them, further measures are needed to enhance international logistics cooperation and increase efficiency along the entire length of the transport corridors. The country's deputy minister for transport Maksat Kaliakparov kindly agreed to answer some questions from The Times of Central Asia. TCA: Not so long ago, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) announced the launch of a project to create a digital corridor as part of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) with the company Global DTC Pte Ltd. What countries are to be integrated into this project? Can a similar digital trade corridor be considered for the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)? MK: As you know, on August 16, 2022, KZT and the Singaporean company PSA concluded a memorandum according to which one of the identified areas for cooperation is developing a digital trading corridor (DTC). Towards this, a multimodal DTC has been developed. Using this platform, three container trains were sent on the route from Xi'an (China) to Absheron (Azerbaijan) as a test run. Integration with the railway systems of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan has been carried out. Currently, the process of integration with Georgian systems is underway. Overall, the DTC platform allows for: entering into online contracts with freight forwarding companies; seeing and receiving transportation tariffs from logistics companies; tracking the location of containers along all routes; getting customs status based on transit declarations when crossing borders along the route, etc. This year, it is also planning to launch the commercial operation of a container tracking service in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, and it is also planning to be integrated with a Chinese logistics operator. In addition, the Tez Customs platform has been developed. It is part of DTC, created to automate the customs clearance process of railway transit freight on the route China-Kazakhstan-Central Asia/Europe. Tez Customs allows for: automating the process of customs transit clearance at the Kazakhstan-China border; reducing the time of customs procedures (from 4-8 hours to 30 minutes); tracking the status of transit declarations and freight until final departure from the territory of Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, a similar DTC for the INSTC is being considered within the cooperation framework with the UAE company Abu Dhabi Ports. TCA: As part of the development of the INSTC, the railway administrations of Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan are planning to create a joint venture (JV). Tell us about the plans for how it is to be formed. How will shares in the JV be allocated between the countries? MK: Yes, indeed, for the further development of the eastern branch of the INSTC, the participating countries are working to create an equal-term JV between KTZ Express, Russian Railways Logistics, and the Transport and Logistics Center of Turkmenistan. Today, the railway administrations of Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran are creating a favorable tariff...

EU Sanctions Export/Import Security Russia European Union

Kazakhstan and EU Negotiating on Simplification of Visa Procedures

Negotiations on simplifying visa procedures have been launched between Kazakhstan and the European Union, as announced by the EU International Special Envoy for Sanctions, David O'Sullivan, Kazinform reported. At a press conference following his visit, O'Sullivan noted the active development of relations between the EU and Kazakhstan. "We are important partners," he stated. "The EU is Kazakhstan's largest trading partner and the largest source of foreign direct investment. We have also established an essential strategic partnership. Within this partnership, we are also developing and committing, which is going very well now, to economic cooperation between the EU and Kazakhstan." O'Sullivan also spoke about the ongoing work in visa liberalization. "It is gratifying to note that we were able to launch negotiations on the simplification of visa procedures, which in turn will contribute to further strengthening of our cooperation," he stated. Many media outlets link the EU special envoy's visit to Kazakhstan's compliance with anti-Russian sanctions. However, Kazakh political scientist, Eduard Poletayev believes the meetings are just a continuation of the dialog between the EU and Kazakhstan. "It is important to understand that the visit of the special envoy is within the framework of his duties as a high-ranking official, is not a 'check,' but is carried out within the framework of Kazakhstan's agreements with the EU and was planned with the consent of Astana. Kazakhstan imposes no sanctions on Russia, and trade between the two countries continues. But the sanctions requirements of the West are observed, which has been repeatedly emphasized by the country's leadership," Poletaev wrote on his Telegram channel.

Economy Export/Import Transport Investments European Union

Cargo Transport from Uzbekistan to EU Countries via Latvia

According to the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan's press service reports, Uzbekistan and Latvia have agreed to develop road freight transportation through Latvian ports. The decision followed discussions by the Uzbek-Latvian Joint Commission on International Road Transportation on issues related to trade development, economic relations, and increasing the volume of international cargo transportation. In a statement welcoming the move, the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan announced, "Today, the importance of the route passing through Latvian ports is growing and expanding trade relations between Uzbekistan and EU countries. In this regard, the meeting focused on the effective utilization of Latvia's port infrastructure potential. Head of the Public Transport Department of the Latvian Ministry of Transport Annija Novikova has expressed readiness to provide comprehensive assistance in creating favorable conditions for national carriers of Uzbekistan within the framework of cooperation,” During the meeting, the parties agreed to provide special permits for organizing cargo transportation by road through Latvian ports and established a quota of permits for 2024.

European Union Economy Export/Import Investments

Uzbekistan-EU Trade Reaches 5.13 billion Euros

In 2023, the trade turnover between Uzbekistan and the European Union increased by 11% to 5.13 billion euros. As reported by EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Charlotte Adrian, exports from the EU to the Republic of Uzbekistan amounted to 4.35 billion euros, and imports from Uzbekistan to the EU, 780 million euros. By way of comparison, she then stated that in 2022, EU exports to Uzbekistan reached 3.77 billion euros, an increase of 63.9%, and imports from Uzbekistan to the EU rose by 77.1% to 845 million euros, resulting in around 70% growth of trade turnover. “Behind these figures," announced Adrian, " are stories of how our businesses have made bold decisions to invest in Uzbekistan.” This year celebrates the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and the European Union and on behalf of the EU, the ambassador praised Uzbekistan's “ambitious path of reforms" and pledged: “We will continue to assist Uzbekistan using all the instruments at our disposal, including the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+). We will also continue to support Uzbekistan's accession to the World Trade Organization or EPCA (European Petrochemical Association), which will open a new chapter of our partnership." She added that by following its the path of reforms, Uzbekistan will create a level playing field which she hoped would encourage more interest from European companies.

European Union Economic Cooperation Investments Export/Import Economy

Kazakhstan and the Netherlands to Further Bilateral Cooperation

During a working visit to Astana , Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte engaged in talks with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Rutte had visited Astana back in 2010 during his first trip outside the EU as Prime Minister, and had not been back since his second visit in 2015. According to reports issued by press service of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the leaders' discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in various sectors including trade and economics, energy, and investment, and cultural-humanitarian spheres. Information was also exchanged on their respective countries' practices regarding transport, innovation, nuclear energy, agriculture, health, climate, and water management. Welcoming the opportunity to expand dialogue on the above issues, Tokayev emphasized, "I would like to note the dynamic development of our bilateral cooperation. The Netherlands is the largest investor in our economy. The volume of direct investments has exceeded 120 billion dollars. Our countries are implementing large-scale joint projects." Furthermore, the President stated that the Prime Minister of the Netherlands's visit would provide additional impetus to the development of trade and economic relations between Astana and Amsterdam. Mark Rutte expressed his appreciation of the level of bilateral partnership enjoyed by their countries and spoke in favor of intensifying practical cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Netherlands. Turning to environmental issues, he confirmed, " We will be happy to share ideas and developments that we have in the field of agriculture, green energy, water management." Views were also exchanged on current issues on the international and regional agenda and both leaders stressed the importance of continued dialogue within the framework of interaction with the European Union.