BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 23. Kazakhstan and the European Union have signed a comprehensive package of strategic aviation and infrastructure agreements to expand transit connectivity along the Middle Corridor network, the press service of Kazakh president says.
"In the presence of Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the European Council António Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, a ceremony for signing a number of documents was held," the statement reads.
According to the official decree, a central component of the transport package is a new intergovernmental agreement between Kazakhstan and the European Union covering specific aspects of air services, which was paired with a major commercial order by national carrier Air Astana for up to 50 advanced Airbus aircraft.
On the overland logistics front, the European Investment Bank signed a major financing agreement with state operator KazAvtoZhol dedicated exclusively to rehabilitating regional highways that form integral segments of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.
To accelerate digital integration along these transit arteries, the Ministry of Transport and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed a memorandum to deploy intelligent transport systems and allocate a dedicated grant for the implementation of the "E-zholdary" digital platform.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Industry and Construction finalized a separate cooperation framework with the EBRD to draft a comprehensive feasibility study for establishing a new Center of Excellence in the minerals and metals sector.
