Kazakhstan is working closely with Pakistan to remove logistical bottlenecks in a bid to improve trade between Central and South Asia and other regions of the world, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin said on Wednesday.
"The main issue we face is logistics. We are closely monitoring the development of regional projects like TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) and CASA-1000 (a transmission line that will move surplus electricity from Central Asia to South Asia)," the envoy stated.
He pointed out that Kazakhstan has already tied up with Pakistani logistics companies to transport cargo from its soil to the South Asian Islamic country.
"In May, we completed our first multimodal shipment from Northern Kazakhstan to Dubai via the Karachi seaport in Pakistan. This was achieved in partnership with NLC. Our next project, in collaboration with TCS, involved transporting pharmaceutical products from Karachi to Baku through the Aktau seaport in Kazakhstan," Kistafin noted.
He emphasised that these developments highlighted the significance of the Trans-Afghan and Trans-Pakistan corridors, especially at the time of the Red Sea crisis.
The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden have transformed into a battle zone of sorts, with Yemen's Houthis engaged in targeting merchant vessels originating or moving to Israel or if they are owned by the Jewish nation's allies like the US or the UK.
In retaliation, the Western powers led by Washington have carried out a string of airstrikes on Houthi strongholds inside Yemen and in the coastal areas of the Middle Eastern country.
"Given the situation in the region, including the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, these routes are currently the most optimal in terms of delivery time and tariffs. Our goal now is to enhance these routes and develop logistics further," the Kazakh ambassador to Pakistan added.
He suggested that this close cooperation between Astana and Islamabad for the development of transit logistics hubs would open up trade markets in Africa, and Southeast Asia amongst others.
"Through Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and Azerbaijan could access markets in Africa, the Persian Gulf, and Southeast Asia. This opens up entirely new horizons for cooperation not just with Pakistan but with other continents and regions. Thus, we prioritize the development of transport and logistics cooperation," Kistafin summed up.