The Kazakstan-Lithuanian business forum was held at the Embassy of Kazakhstan with the participation of the Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan Marat Karabaev, the Vice Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania Julius Skachkauskas, the leaders of the Confederation of Industrialists of Lithuania, the seaports of Aktau, Kuryk and Klaipeda, as well as representatives of major railway and road carriers of the two countries, El.kz cites MFA.
Ambassador Timur Urazaev in his opening speech noted that the development of the transit and transport potential of Kazakhstan is an integral part of the large-scale economic reforms carried out by the government of our country in recent years. He also emphasized the importance of the event for the further development of trade and economic interaction between the two countries.
Marat Karabaev spoke about the work being done to increase cargo transportation along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), including through the seaports of Aktau and Kuryk, due to which, based on the results of 4 months of this year, the volume of traffic on this route increased by 15%. The rate of freight transport through the port of Kuryk increased by 34% and by 27% of containers in the port of Aktau. This year it is planned to dredge the port of Kuryk to ensure sufficient depth for ships to enter. The Kazakhstan’s minister invited Lithuanian investors to jointly implement infrastructure projects.
Julius Skachkauskas expressed Lithuania's interest in increasing the volume of cargo transportation through TITR. He noted that the entry last year of the Lithuanian national railway company “LTG Cargo” into the “TITR International Association” opens up new opportunities for increasing the volume of cargo transportation between Kazakhstan and Lithuania.
The event, organized with the assistance of the honorary consuls of Kazakhstan in Lithuania, also presented the capabilities of the seaports of Aktau, Kuryk and Klaipeda. After the official part, the business forum continued in the format of B2B negotiations between Kazakh and Lithuanian enterprises.
On the same day, the heads of the transport ministries of Kazakhstan and Lithuania, Marat Karabaev and Marius Skuodis, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the development of cooperation within the framework of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route aimed at increasing the integration of transport links and the efficiency of transportation.