Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Russia to Develop North-South Transport Corridor

On July 19 - 20, the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan organized its first meeting on the North-South transit and trade corridor in Aktau attended by delegations from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Turkmenistan, UAE, Iran, Iraq, Oman, and Uzbekistan. By connecting Russia and Belarus to ports in the Persian Gulf, with further access to India, the North-South transport corridor will broaden prospects for trade and become a key engine for Kazakhstan's economic development. During the meeting,  Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkmenistan, and Russia signed a roadmap for the development of the eastern route of the North-South transport corridor from 2024 to 2025, aimed to increase the corridor's throughput to 15 million tons of cargo annually by 2027 and 20 million tons by 2030. Kazakh Minister of Transport Marat Karabaev commented: “Kazakhstan intends to continue its active participation in the development of the Eastern branch of the North-South corridor, which has the highest potential for growth in cargo flows until 2030 and appears to be the safest and shortest transit route to the Indian Ocean. Therefore, it is necessary to begin the practical implementation of the Roadmap signed today for the synchronous development of the eastern route of the North-South corridor passing through the territories of Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Iran.”