The Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Ukraine, Seymur Mardaliev, met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Irina Borovets, to discuss preparations for the upcoming COP29, scheduled for the end of the year in Baku, as well as multilateral cooperation between the two countries. He also shared information about Azerbaijan’s humanitarian assistance and its initiatives in Ukraine.
The President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, held a meeting dedicated to the presentation of projects in the field of transport and construction. One of the key areas of work was the reconstruction of the departure terminal at Tashkent International Airport, which involves expanding opportunities for passengers and increasing capacity.
YEONG Wee Tan, CEO of Global DTC Pte Ltd, spoke about the digitalization of logistics processes along the Middle Corridor route. As a member of the PSA Group, Global DTC focuses on digitalization in Central Asia, complementing PSA’s strategy.
Saraeva Ramiya Aslbekovna, General Director of the Association of Kazakhstan Railway Carriers and member of the STC KazLogistics, spoke on the topic “The role of Kazakhstan in international transport logistics and integration into leading international digital products.” She said that since 2018, Kazakhstan is the only country in the CIS that is open to competition in the freight transportation market. At the same time, the Association of Kazakhstan Railway Carriers, being a young project, which is only 3 years old, provides an opportunity for companies with locomotives and rolling stock to act as cargo carriers in the country.
In the first quarter of 2024, more than 61.4 million tons of cargo were transported through the KTZ network, which leaves the figures at the level of the same period last year. Domestic transportation increased by 2.4%, reaching more than 40.2 million tons, of which 21.2 million tons were exported.
Rauan Pirmanov, Managing Director of Nur Zhol Company, devoted his report to multimodal transportation and services for cargo owners. He reviewed operational activities, reserves for improving the quality of customer service and comprehensive solutions in logistics.
The importance of the Baku International Sea Trade Port (BISTP) in the global integration of Europe and Asia along the Middle Corridor was emphasized after a meeting between the port management and the representative of the European Union for Central Asia. Special Representative Terhi Hakala visited the port in Alyat as part of his visit to Azerbaijan.
Liliana Krutonog, General Director of MALBI-trans, in her speech emphasized the importance of transit potential and routes through Kazakhstan from the point of view of a European forwarder. Their Czech company, although a private entity, received a significant impetus for development last year by becoming the official agent of the Czech railways – ČD Cargo. These powers enable the most efficient use of ČD Cargo’s infrastructure and services, including the locomotive and wagon fleet, terminals, warehouses and existing transport solutions.
The presidents of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan discussed issues of stability and security in the Central Asian region during their recent talks. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev also discussed preparations for the sixth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and prospects for cooperation in C5+ formats.
Altynbek Akylbekov, Deputy Head of the Branch and Head of Logistics in Kazakhstan and Central Asia of DB Cargo Eurasia, presented the company’s main achievements, which include the first transit shipments along the Silk Road between China and Europe, as well as the formation of key routes such as Chuntsun-Duisburg. They organized these transportations jointly with Chinese, Russian, Kazakh and German railways, and their experience and development history began to take shape back in 2008.
