First Indo-Kazakh joint working group meeting on connectivity held

New Delhi: On November 26th India and Kazakhstan held the first meeting of the Joint Working Group on connectivity, transport, and logistics where a wide range of matters of mutual cooperation were discussed.

During the event, representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development of Kazakhstan, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in India, «Air Astana» JSC and «KTZ Express» JSC discussed the issues of increasing transit cargo between the two countries, including along the route Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran-India. The existing infrastructure on the sea, road and rail links, the availability of storage facilities were particularly discussed at the meeting.
The parties exchanged views on simplification of the procedure for issuing permits to Kazakh airlines to use aircrafts in India, facilitation of transport procedures at border control, development of favorable tariff conditions and etc.
Parties agreed to maintain close and regular working contacts, as well as to hold the next JWG in 2020 in Nur-Sultan.

Eight Joint Working Groups have been established in the areas of Counter Terrorism, Trade & Economic Cooperation, Defence & Military Technical Cooperation, Information Technology, Hydrocarbons, Textiles,
Tea Debt and Space Cooperation between India and Kazakhstan.

The JWG on connectivity, transport and logistics was established by the decisions of the Kazakh-Indian Intergovernmental Commission to take forward bilateral relations in the respective spheres.

Kazakhstan is India’s largest trade and investment partner in Central Asia. As per statistics of Kazakhstan for 2018, total bilateral trade between India and Kazakhstan amounted to US$ 1.2 bln, out of which exports from Kazakhstan was to the tune of US$ 954.08 million, and exports from India was US$ 242.78 million.

Connectivity therefore assumes greater importance given that resource rich Kazakhstan is a landlocked country.

Aditi Bhaduri

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