Islamabad:
Pakistan and Kazakhstan are likely to sign a Gwadar Port Access during the visit by Kazakhstan president in November this year.
Sources told The Express Pakinomist that a high-level delegation of Kazakhstan was going to Islamabad in the second week of September to end the events for an agreement on Gwadar Port access to the Central Asian states. They said Kazakhstan intends to create a product terminal in the Karachi port to export to the EU member states and the United States.
However, Pakistan would like to see that Kazakhstan is establishing a terminal in Gwadar Port. During the upcoming dialogue between the two countries, officials will also explore the prospects of forging road and rail connections. Pakistan will form a consortium with the Central Asian states to develop the maritime sector.
Meanwhile, according to a statement, a central meeting was held between Kazakhstan ambassador Yerzhan Kistafin and federal minister of maritime affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Tuesday. Both sides showed a strong interest in expanding cooperation in the maritime sector.
The Federal Minister suggested to initiate joint ventures in Karachi and Gwadar Ports and highlighted the potential of forming partnerships in Gwadar Free Zone. These efforts are intended to utilize Pakistan’s strategic port infrastructure to improve the trade access for Kazakhstan, a land -locked nation seeking a wider maritime connection.
The ambassador welcomed the initiatives and said that Kazakhstan was eager to use Pakistani ports as transit nodes not only for Astana, but also for the wider Central Asian region. He shared that a ministerial delegation, led by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Communications, who also oversees maritime affairs, will soon come to Pakistan. It will include in -depth discussions to explore further collaboration in maritime trade and logistics.
The federal minister outlined the critical role of Pakistani ports such as gateways offering Kazakhstan and other land -locked Central Asian countries access to markets in the Persian Gulf, Africa and Southeast Asia. He emphasized the maritime sector’s dedication to becoming a regional trade hub by using innovative approaches and strengthening international partnerships.
The upcoming visit of the Kazakh delegation is expected to accelerate progress of joint ventures and trade facilitation and strengthen ties through maritime infrastructure development, logistics and the blue economy.
