Islamabad:
It is likely that Pakistan and Kazakhstan sign an access agreement to the Gwadar port during the visit of the president of Kazakhstan in November this year.
The sources told The Express PAkGazette that a high -level Kazakhstan delegation should be presented in Islamabad in the second week of September to end the arrangements for an agreement on the access to the port of Gwadar to the states of Central Asia. They said that Kazakhstan intends to establish a terminal of goods in the port of Karachi for exports to the member countries of the European Union and the United States.
However, Pakistan would like to see Kazakhstan establish a terminal in the port of Gwadar. During the next dialogue between the two countries, officials will also explore the prospects of forging road and railway links. Pakistan wants to form a consortium with the states of Central Asia to develop the maritime sector.
Meanwhile, according to a statement, a key meeting was held between the Kazakhstan ambassador, Yerzhan Kistafin and the Federal Minister of Maritime Affairs, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, on Tuesday. Both parties showed great interest in expanding cooperation in the maritime sector.
The Federal Minister suggested to start joint companies in the ports of Karachi and Gwadar and highlighted the potential to form associations in the free zone of Gwadar. These efforts are intended to use Pakistan’s strategic port infrastructure to improve commercial access for Kazakhstan, a nation without coastline that seeks broader maritime connectivity.
The ambassador welcomed the initiatives, saying that Kazakhstan was anxious to use Pakistani ports as transit centers not only for Astana but also for the region of Central Asia in general. He shared that a ministerial level delegation, led by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Communication that also supervises maritime issues, was scheduled to get Pakistan soon. You must make in -depth discussions to explore greater cooperation in maritime trade and logistics.
The Federal Minister described the critical role of the Pakistani ports as entrance doors that offered Kazakhstan and other nations without coast of the nations of Central Asia to the markets in the Persian Gulf, Africa and Southeast Asia. He stressed the dedication of the maritime sector to become a regional shopping center by adopting innovative approaches and reinforcing international associations.
The next visit of the Kazakh delegation is expected to accelerate progress in joint companies and trade facilitation and strengthen ties through the development of maritime infrastructure, logistics and the blue economy.
